"We will NEVER have a free enterprise health care system.
At least in our lifetime. Healthcare is much too sweet a morsel for pols to give up. But - in countries as diverse as UK and Russia, along with government medicine there also are thriving - and little regulated - fee for service private healthcare markets. Strange things happen in life.
A few days ago, while visiting Bryce and Zion national parks, i developed a case of shingles. Started as a sensation of pain and numbness over the left side of my forehead and left side of the nose. The moment I saw a small spot appear on the forehead, I knew what it was. Later some more lesions appeared, following the same nerve distribution. The eye was uncomfortable and hurt a little, but not too badly. Overall it was a relatively mild case - but because of the proximity to the eye, I decided to start taking an antiviral antibiotic. A pharmacist in a small town in Utah was kind enough to accept my out of state prescription. I think I'm improving.
The reason I'm telling y'all this story is because IMO it's worth getting the shingles vaccine. It's a weird disease, and can be very painful and dangerous. I think getting the vaccine is a smart move, especially for people over 60. (Edit - the vaccine doesn't totally prevent shingles, but cuts the incidence roughly in half, and - even more importantly - makes after effects, like persistent pain - not as bad).
One possible explanation for the increased incidence of shingles are... vaccinations for chickenpox. In the past, when adults took care of children having chickenpox, they would be exposed to the virus, and their immunity would get a booster. Nowadays, when children no longer get chickenpox, the odds for getting shingles are higher. Hence, the need for vaccination."
