Sep 17, 2009 3 min read

Right wing wrong Heads up, ?tea party? fans. You may be on the wrong boat. Administrative costs for Medicaid and Medicare run around four percent, versus 12 to 20 percent for plans. The arguments against universal health care in these United States are fueled by greed. Look at who?s funding the anti-health care ads. We should not be sailing with those who skimp on health care services to make bonuses.

I am in favor of a public option for universal health care coverage. For the past 28 years I have worked as a health care provider. Presently I practice in two states. If I get ill or have an accident outside my primary state, I will have a huge co-pay for services. With a public option, I would still pay for insurance, but could use it in any state without penalty.

Many of my relatives and friends work full time without benefits. Their incomes prohibit the purchase of affordable health care policies. They are productive citizens, yet they still operate in the pre-1960?s world, where you use the ER for primary care and you go to the hospital for emergency surgery or death.

The argument that we are currently free to ?choose our doctors? and health care decisions are made ?between us and our doctors? is bogus. Insurance companies maintain a list of approved providers and procedures must be pre-approved to be paid for. I do not fear public care. I receive it and it is good.

Universal primary care with a public option is the boat I?m on. So let?s stop smoking, walk daily, examine our conscience, and get on board for better health.

As a Christian, I believe that I am my brother?s keeper. All of us deserve health care. Preventative and primary care for all will improve the health of our families and communities, and decrease the need for high cost tertiary care.

Mary K. Sykes

Uniontown

Time proves him right

It may seem strange but sometimes time offers redemption. I know that I have angered some people with my stories to this newspaper and in my books but time has proven me right about many of them. I have also learned that not many people pay any attention to what I say anyway so it would be impossible to hurt anyone. These are some of the topics that I have written about without any response.

I chastised a certain congressman for pushing for a natural gas tax. He says we should tax the rich gas companies that drill for the gas but doesn?t mention the poor farmer who after a lifetime of hard labor depends on it. He also doesn?t mention the general population who will actually pay that tax. It works like this. The politicians pass legislation to tax the gas companies, and then those same politicians grant those companies the right to increase their rates, therefore effectively passing on the burden to the public.

I chastised the state employee?s pension for taking our million dollars to pay for the mistakes of their investors but just lost more friends.

I also lamented that if financial planners were so great why aren?t they all rich and retired? I was proven right on that point recently when everyone was going broke, but again, being right didn?t endear me to my friends. Next time, if I can find it, I think I?ll write about something good.

Leroy Bryan

East Millsboro