The Mayo Clinic’s world class care for an uninsured family

Plummer Building, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

 

 

We didn’t have health insurance coverage when my two children were growing up in a small town near Rochester, Minn. The Mayo Clinic was our health care provider back then and never once were we asked to present proof of insurance coverage at the admissions desk.

It was our good fortune that none of us was ever seriously ill during those years, but when we did need treatment, the Mayo Clinic graciously allowed us to pay as we were able for the world class care we received.

And it was world class. I was walking down the sidewalk one afternoon in Rochester when an older, well-dressed gentleman approached me. Speaking with an accent, he explained that he had just flown in from Turkey. He said he suffered terrible headaches, and no one had been able to help him, so he had turned to the Mayo Clinic. He asked me for directions, and I pointed out the nearby building to him.

With all the politicization of health care these days in the uproar over the health care reform bill and the repeated threats to Medicare, I often think of the days when my family and I were fortunate enough to live near the Mayo Clinic.

I do still benefit from Mayo’s services, however, as I subscribe to their online newsletter. It came today, and I’ve been checking out one of its features: Meal planning 101: Tips and tricks, by Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., which begins:

Naturally, when I have friends over for dinner the conversation turns to food and nutrition.  Common questions are: "What should I eat to be healthy?" "What should I avoid?" and "Is this food a source of the latest cure-all nutrient?" Most of these I'm prepared to answer. One recent question, though, got me thinking, "How does Jennifer do her meal planning?" 

My meal planning starts with a sheet of paper. Pretty high-tech, right? In the left-hand column, I write the days of the week. Under each day I write:

• Entree
• Vegetable (hot)
• Vegetable (cold)
• Whole grain
• Fruit
• Beverage

Then I just have to fill in the grid. For those of you playing along at home, here are some of my tried-and-true meal planning tips:

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