Persnickety

(Sung to “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserable): There was a time when men were kind And they all forgave their debtors And insurance was not needed When all was done by shaking hands, not needing to be signed… All transactions done in cash, Town meetings civil and seated. There was a time…then it all...was trashed. I dreamed a drug was well-tested And offered something new I dreamed it was low-cost And not just another me-too. I dreamed the dream I had when young When costs were paid in dollar bills; No forms filled out, no effigies hung; No need for insurance and other frills. But the lobbyists come at night. With their voices soft as moleskin. The PACs and pol’s keep out of sight They’ve crossed out Lipitor and Ceftin. When I was young and unafraid, I could read a doctor’s writing without specs. E-scripts simply don’t meet the grade-- Is it Prilosec that’s meant or Phisohex? I dreamed that copays were all the same I felt as if in a wonderful trance. I dreamed the sick could not go ...