A contributor recently suggested that our country would be better off with a single payer system to handle our healthcare. He mentioned the British system as a good example. Recently the demonstrations there highlight one of the biggest factors that impedes quality health care for everyone. Namely – who is going to pay for it. I have yet to hear a coherent answer here. The health care we have received has always been dictated by the politicians and lobbyists. Whether it was state intervention or national, we have never had true competition or free market principals applied. One of the classic examples is the inordinate amount we pay for our drugs. Why is it that we can purchase the same drugs from Canada or Mexico at a fraction of what it costs here? Why is it that my Medicare Part D costs me more then the actual drugs I need? Without Part D I would save $600 a year just purchasing the drugs in the U.S. I recognize that those taking many expensive drugs do save with Part D. That is not free market capitalism by any stretch of the imagination. While many Vets may be satisfied with the healthcare they receive, there are many who are not. Obamacare has imploded in many states and they are looking for another bailout for a system that will never support itself. Am I missing something? I am able to purchase a very expensive health care under the current system, but have a 6,000 deductible. Thanks, but no thanks.
How about opening up the medical/insurance and drug market so that we can purchase what we want. How about not punishing or stealing from those of us that don’t want a Marxist/socialist system? As a society, we are morally obligated to provide health services that our citizens cannot afford. No one should ever face bankruptcy if they cannot afford their healthcare. I think we all can agree on those two issues. We are a country with approximately 330 million people of which one third pay no federal taxes or very little. When someone is honest enough to explain how we are going to pay for it, I might get it. In the interim, we will continue to understand that we are 20 trillion dollars in debt and climbing and are being advised by our government that Medicare and Social Security cannot be sustained under the current system. Wow! I am supposed to trust the same politicians/government that are offering government healthcare for all of us?
Sharon Sullivan Taylor
Sun City resident
