Quote Originally Posted by Hawk
Howie, I don't get the medicare thing. Isn't long term disability covered by your insurance. I have insurace. When I get hurt it pays and not the taxpayers. I also have a friend that got hurt a while back. His insurace ran out and now he has tremendous dept. No taxpayers are paying for him. If there is some program out there please let me know.

Personally I started wearing one for the last two years. I will say that it is a personel choice that was made because my wife was so stongly for it. Her logic was "you mountain bike with a helmet. You Ski twice as fast and do not wear a helmet. Is that smart?" Well I couldn't argue with that logic so we made a deal. I do not particulaly like wearing it and would prefer to just wear my hat.

The long and the short of it for me is why should Government tell me what I should do? It should be a personel choice and a freedom that is very american and not a law to be inforced. The opinios of other more conservative people should not be impressed onto others. Personal Responcibility is what it is called. But that's just me......
Medical insurance has a limit. Once you reach that limit it will no longer cover you. If you have a serious brain injury rendering you disabled you qualify for social security Disability and Medicare. It is likely that if you have a significant brain injury you will exhaust your insurance coverage and Medicare will pick up the tab.

I used to feel the same way you do about the seatbelt laws. why should the government tell me what to do. In a perfect world you are correct. People would make the right decisions based on perfect information. Unfortunately we live in a most imperfect world. We never have perfect information and even when we do, many will make the wrong decision. Seatbelts save lives and prevent many serious injuries at minimal, if any, cost. Helmets are the same. At worst they are a trivial inconvenience but could save you from a very serious problem.

FWIW-I have some experience and knowledge of brain injuries through my work. What I have learned is that our knowledge of brain injury is very limited today. But in the last decade new diagnostic technologies (PET scan, QEEG, and others) have revealed that brain injuries are much more common than previously thought. Examination of the brains of 6 NFL players who died in their 40's revealed extensive damage similar to people with dementia. I believe it will soon be widely recognized that brain injury is a much more common and serious problem.
The brain is very delicate having a consistency like jello. Even without direct trauma the nerve connections can be sheared resulting in permanent impairment. Many decisions in life involve balancing risk/benefit. Protecting your brain by wearing a helmet is an easy call. It's a "no brainer."