Opinion Forum

For the Greater Good

April 2nd, 2010

My mother and I share the dubious distinction of both being senior citizens, her at 90 and me at 70. Both of us receive Social Security and Medicare. We are both concerned about what our status will be under the new health care law. As more information emerges it’s beginning to appear that some seniors will benefit but others will not, even to the point of financial loss.

According to the Associated Press there are legitimate reasons for some seniors to be concerned. Although this article comes close, it never really seems to address the potential problems or benefits hidden away in the over 2,000 pages of political hyper-talk that are contained in the law. Although this is fine for a news provider that wants to straddle the fence on such a volatile issue, it leaves people like my mom and me more confused and not better informed.

All the confusion has not helped one iota in selling this law to the electorate. The Speaker of the House made light of the non-information by claiming that we could read the bill after it becomes law. That sentiment in particular bothers me because now every Democrat who gets questioned about the law assures us that the people will eventually accept it. Such a lame answer tells me that there wasn’t a whole lot of concern about what I or anyone else thought.

The long-term effect of all this is being cleverly hidden and side-stepped. The cost will dwarf most other programs ever embarked upon by our government. It will give the government control over the health and well-being of the entire population. It will, indeed, create jobs but not in the private sector. Instead, it will be just more bureaucracy with federal employees running health care.

The cost is projected to be in the trillions. Ask about the cost, and you’re told that by such-and-such a date this law will create a surplus. Don’t you think that may be a little far-fetched or at least a long way down the road? Until then something else will have to finance the law. With the jobless rate near ten percent and hard times on us, where’s the money coming from? Social Security, perhaps?

Lots of unanswered questions except for those believers who assure the rest of us that we’re going love the new law once it’s out there. Meanwhile, Mom and I and several million other seniors have a dreadful feeling about this law and who the big losers are going to be.

Maybe our sacrifices will be for the greater good.

Articles written by Larry Ennis
Tags: costs, health care, Law, Medicare, seniors, Social Security
Categories: Economics, Life, Politics | Comments (4) | Home

4 Responses to “For the Greater Good”

d | April 2nd, 2010 at 7:53 am

I am with you on this one,Larry. I,too,am thoroughly confused. What does it mean for social security,or medicare recipients? Are we all,the baby boomers,who paid in our whole lives, gonna be living under the bridges? Are we gonna die from curable diseases,while waiting for approval for treatment? Oh well,there are just too many of us old folks,living longer,taking up space anyway. Maybe this is the plan to cleanse the system,soilent green,anyone?

larry | April 2nd, 2010 at 9:22 am

d
yes its scarey. check out this link and draw your own conclusions.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/item_PU6S0iok2FbS368B7d7mAM

d | April 2nd, 2010 at 12:32 pm

Good Golly,Miss Molly! That link was scarey,and I hope not accurate. I think we need a vote on this healthcare bill.It appears to stink to high Heaven,and we can’t do a thing about it.

Lisa | April 2nd, 2010 at 12:47 pm

Larry,
I think we are all feeling helpless and wondering how the health care reform bill ever got passed. I found the NY Post article chilling. I sometimes wonder if we are all sleeping through a nightmare and we will wake up and discover all of this never happened. Aside from people not knowing what exactly is in the bill to include the people in charge of passing it, it is also discouraging to hear and read various authoritative opinions about whether the bill or parts of it can be repealed or determined to be unconstitutional.