Is Big Brother watching you sleep?

This statement caught my eye:

I supported national health insurance until I became Medicare-eligible this year.

After chuckling at that statement, I read on. It's always interesting to get a patient's perspective on the industry—its rules, its regs, its technology. In this case, the writer is a new CPAP patient. Turns out, she doesn't like having Medicare monitor how often she uses the therapy.

Medicare monitored my usage during the first month and threatened to cut me off because I wasn't using the machine enough. Ever try getting used to sleeping with a helmet at night? Not easy is putting it mildly.

Now, while most (actually all) providers would agree with her that it's a tricky therapy, they mostly tell me the policy, despite all the extra work it requires, is good medicine. They also mostly agree that if the patient isn't adhering to the therapy, taxpayers shouldn't be footing the bill.

The writer goes on to complain about the face-to-face follow-up visit.

Then, after a series of difficult procedures, tests and surgeries, Medicare threatened to cut me off again because I couldn't see my pulmonologist within a very rigid time frame. I was just too sick.

Maybe she was too sick. Maybe the policy needs a little more flexibility. Maybe she just likes to moan. I'm just glad she now has Medicare and not some government-controlled health insurance plan (insert sarcasm here).

Finally, our cranky, possibly sleep deprived beneficiary writes:

Who needs Big Brother watching my every move? Sarah Palin's "death panel" may not be as farfetched as I once believed.

Theresa Flaherty