Health debate splits AARP members by age

A similar chasm appears within the ranks of retired public service employees in Ohio. Police & Fire and STRS retirement systems really sock it to their retirees who are under 65 (especially those who wish to insure their under 65 spouses). Priscilla Brockett (59) has the uninformed view that many Americans mistakenly have; "they just present themselves to the emergency room." What Priscilla didn't tell the readers is that "just presenting" one's self to the emergency room creates long lines at ER's and unaffordable medical bills that come within weeks of the visit. Many of these bills lead to bankruptcy due to the fact that the retiree is 1. unemployed 2.not of the age preferred by employers and therefore not employable 3. suffering ill health in the first place and unemployable because of ill health.

Of course, Priscilla isn't the only one with this misunderstanding of the real world. So was former President George Bush who, in Cleveland in July of 2007, said, "I mean, people have access to healthcare in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room."
Maybe Priscilla and George have deep enough pockets to afford a major illness after their current insurance (or underinsurance) pays what little of the hospital bill it does. Not all public service retirees (or the general public for that matter) were born with a silver spoon in their mouths like George was and probably Priscilla.To the vast majority, a major illness is a major financial disaster. This doesn't happen in the rest of the rest of the industrialized countries of this world....only in America. Of course, the "teabaggers" don't understand this...that is, until they suffer a major illness and related bankruptcy. Then they are "rugged individualists." Rugged individualists who are witout a home because of foreclosure due to medical induced bankruptcy.

Single Payer for every American!!

Dennis wrote:

Single Payer for every American!!

You got to be kidding!