Health Care

Dear Mr. President,


Somewhere, the people in Washington have lost sight of the amendment to the Constitution that gives us free speech. In order that you will find out what we care about before it becomes an issue bigger than our Government can handle, we are given the right to speak our piece. Here is my side of the Health Care debate. I am damn sure not a Nazi, a part of a rabble or a Mob.


In 1966, I was promised by our Government that because I was in the service, I would be eligible for medical care for life. Someone changed the rules and soon as I was out of the active Military, unless my need for service from the VA was "Service Connected" I better find my own program. Because of Malaria, I did use the VA for one short period. After that, I have been a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas member and have remained so for over 40 years.

When I turned 60, I became eligible for Tri-Care because of my Military Retirement. I was going to stop my Blue Cross & Blue Shield Insurance until I started to look at the statements from Tri-Care. They didn't pay anything, just applied it all to my deductible. Even when I would have completed filling my deductible, they would only pay my Doctor about 2/3 of what he billed. Even with everything considered, my co-pays made it almost as cheap to keep my Blue Cross and Blue Shield. I have no dental or vision or drug insurance with Tri-Care.


My mother is on Medicare, and to make sure she has what she needs we have to have two additional policies for Part C & D. Even then, she has no vision or dental care just at the part of her life that her teeth are showing the effects of her age.


In order to stave off what was the failure of all failures of our monetary system,you proposed a 300 Billion dollar Bail Out, Stimulus or whatever you finally called it. By the time Congress got around to adding to that Bill, the CBO has placed the cost closer to a Trillion dollars. I find that kind of games with our tax dollars scary. I think it should have been a bill closer to the origional amount but to get everyone at the table the rest was added. That is what most of us think Washington does and your "Change" would make it better not "more"

You are asking me to give the Government control of my health care. How many failed Government programs do we need to talk about before it is painfully aware that our full faith is somewhat damaged. The Social Security Lock Box got raided and all my investment money got spent. We read about the Post Office going broke as we speak. Washington has no hesitation to pass on unfunded mandates to the States Right and Left. How much will Cap and trade add to our utility bills next year?

When you were back on the streets as a coordinator, how many times did you say, "How can you tell if a politician is lying? His lips are moving." Neither of us were born yesterday and I'll bet you have been as amazed at the cost of Big Government when they build a bureaucracy to run a program. I don't think a Government run health Care system will be cheaper because of the number of people that will be hired to run it. Hell, you yourself alluded to the United States Postal Service failing when Fed Ex and UPS are working fine.

Good Luck as you work in the most important job in the US. Unlike some people, I do not want you to fail as what you do is so important to us all. I would like for you and the congress to listen to the people a little but and understand that most of us have a rule that we live by. Income must be greater than or equal to outgo. Give it a shot and see if it doesn't work.

MUD
COL, US Army (Ret)