Texas High School QB Collapses, Dies

I read two comments and want to hurl.

 

This is not meant to hijack the thread into the morals of health insurance, but if a family can afford to pay the fees for athletic participation, should they be required to pay the fee for a sports screening physical to make sure their child is healthy enough to play?

 

What fees are incurred to play high school football?

 

It costs about $100 a season where I am at. But if you are on the free lunch program, you do not have to pay.

This is due in large part to the economic collapse and the tea bag mentality growing in America today.

 

You are asking this now? This was news 20 years ago.

 

Preventive medicine is always news.

 

Not every school district or state has fees. And many are pretty low. Plus, physicals don't detect hidden ailments. If a kid has a heart problem that's based on genetics, it very well might not be found in a regular sports physical, especially considering a lot of kids get their basic physicals done at places like Walgreens clinic, which is less expensive than a regular doctor's visit.

It's one thing to pay $50 or even $100 one time to play football. It's even another to pay $40-$75 for a physical.

But when the only detection of some of these ailments that are killing young athletes requires health insurance that costs $250+ a month? A lot of families can't afford it.

 

If sports physicals provided through the schools are like they were back in my day, not much can be detected. They were strictly of the turn-and-cough variety. Now if you go through your PCP, you might find something.