Reform needed to protect the elderly

I agree with Harold Davidson. Read proposed health care bills.

Harold opposes current proposal: “allows … higher rates up … two times for age categories.” My rebuttal: Already happening beyond two times for age and prior illness. My experience: three times the rate and didn’t cover pre-existing illness. Two times would’ve been improvement.

Davidson worries “creates an advisory committee to recommend covered benefits.” If Obama uses his current criteria, he’ll invite both sides to the table. So far, few anti-reformers have taken invitations for pro-active participation, instead choosing to spread red herrings, lies, and misinformation, hoping for failure.

Harold worries, “benefits standards set … standards defined include categories of covered treatments, items and services.” Just common-sense, otherwise face-lifts, gender changes and non-essential procedures billed to tax dollars. Limitation isn’t a death-panel.

Harold worries about “Standardized Electronic Administrative Transactions.” Currently there are no electronic standards. Pushing paper is expensive, redundant and in-efficient. Standards define what is legal under the law.

Davidson doesn’t like “real time determination of an individual’s financial responsibility,”… “Enable electric fund transfer” for “related health care payment.” I bet Davidson pays his bills. Why shouldn’t those who get affordable health care? There’s already a government bureau looking at all bank transactions. Transactions don’t have to be huge to be investigated. The Bush administration wrote the legislation allowing government access to our bank accounts, not Obama.

Seniors, my 80-year-old mother-in-law, will lose health insurance the month her husband dies. Ladies, is your health insurance part of his pension which ends when he dies? Will my mother-in-law be able to afford insurance on her limited income with pre-existing conditions when she also loses his SS? Probably not. We will have to find the money to pay it for her along with our own $6,000-a-year premiums and $10,000 deductible.

BETTY GARDNER

Priest River