Healthcare Hullabaloo: Hit Me With Your Best Shot

It’s that time of year again.

The beaches are closed. The leaves are falling. There’s a definite chill in the air.

….and, oh right – it’s time for my annual flu shot.

Like most people north of 50, I’ve been getting a flu shot every fall. So far, it seems to be working for me, as I haven’t had a real bad flu since I started getting the shots. The older we get, the less our bodies can fight off a flu infection.

Thanks to modern medicine, the flu is a lot less dangerous than it was 90 years ago, when it killed millions world wide. And while it is less dangerous, the flu can still be fatal to the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. Not that I’m elderly, mind you, but I’ve been getting my vaccine every year for the past ten years ago.

My experience with this important vaccination every year has proven two things:

First, the shots do work – I haven’t had a serious flu since I’ve started getting my annual vaccine.

Second, it warms my heart that at least SOMEONE in the healthcare field is finding a way to make the system more affordable and better.

Here’s what I mean. When I first got my flu shot, I got it at my doctor’s office. This meant making an appointment, waiting in line, and paying for an office visit.

Over the years, the routine has been changed. I started going to my local pharmacy for the shot. At an appointed time, a nurse would be available to jab me in the arm with the anointed needle. Not only was this more convenient, it saved me money, as I didn’t need to pay for a separate office visit. (even if the visit was covered, remember, always, Star Trek Economics).

This newer approach even saved me some pain – nurses are always better at giving injections than a MD is.

My health insurance company also got it right – in order to encourage me to use this more economical method of vaccination, the waived my co-pay, so I paid nothing out of pocket for my date with the hypodermic devil.

This year, there was a even a newer twist – I could now walk into my pharmacy at any time and get my flu shot. Plus, the deadly deed was dealth by a pharmacisit (who was working there anyway). This is an even less expensive way of delivering the vaccine. Face it, jabbing a needle into someone’s muscle ain’t rocket science. It makes sense that the most convenient – and cost effective – method be used to deliver the vaccine.

As an added bonus, by making the vaccine easy and cheap, more people will be encouraged to get it on an annual basis. This will, in term, same many of us from the prolonged illness, lost wages, or even more dreadful consequences of a nasty flu.

Everybody wins.

Wow, a move to more effective, convenient, and affordable health care in the United States. I’d never thought I’d see the day.

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Who are you? Do you agree with me, disagree with me, or have another perspective to share?

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