Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone, Powered by NAFCU

I love a particular joke.  It goes something like this.

Two old men have been friends for years.  One of them becomes gravely ill, and the other visits him in the hospital. They are chatting, when the friend pauses. "Since you are on your deathbed, I wonder if you could do me a favor. When you get to Heaven, can you let me know if they play baseball there?  His sick friend agrees. Shortly after, he passes away. 

A few days later, the surviving friend wakes to hear his deceased friend's voice. 

Deceased Friend: I have good news and bad news.
Living Friend: What's the good news?
DF: There's baseball in Heaven!
LF: Great! What's the bad news?
DF: You're scheduled to pitch tomorrow. 

I think that joke rings true for many of us. I'd love to play ball in Heaven. But I'm in no rush to suit up.

With that in mind, many of us take care of ourselves. We watch what we eat. We try to manage things so we live a long, and healthy life.

With that in mind, let me ask you this question.

What is the third leading cause of death in America? 

You probably will start making a list in your head. Heart disease. Cancer.  Those are 1 and 2. 

But what's number three? 

If I gave you five guesses, I'd bet you wouldn't get it.

The third leading cause of death in the United States is...medical error.

I'm not taking a shot at doctors, nurses or hospitals. I'm related to a many in the medical profession, which I hold in high esteem.

But I think this data shows that we often have a hard time measuring risk. Medical errors claim more lives than diabetes and strokes combined. Most would not list it as a threat to their life. 

Where am I going with this?

When it comes to risk, look at the numbers.

You might just be surprised.

***

And speaking of Risk, NAFCU will be hosting two conferences next week: Our Risk Management Seminar and our BSA Seminar in lovely Colorado.

We wouldn't be able to put on the conference without the help of great sponsors. I'd like to personally thank two of them. 

• Signature Sponsor: Allied Solutions (https://www.nafcu.org/allied/)       
• Thought Leader Sponsor: Venminder (https://www.venminder.com/)  

Support them just like they support credit unions.