Listen to Senior's worries about Health Care Reform

From reading my July 21st post you understand that I'm not totally against all Health Care reform. However, I read a Seattle Times article suggesting that our seniors overwhelmingly don't support Health Care reform simply because they have been tricked into believing that it will somehow make their health care worse. The author implies that either:

1. Seniors are stupid for not understanding what version of "reform" is being discussed at the moment.
OR
2. Seniors are being preyed upon by Republicans and are not smart enough to fight back.

Yes, there are many misconceptions about all the various "reform" plans out there. However, I vote that our Seniors are pretty smart and have good reason to be suspicious of the current Health Care Reform proposals floating around.

WHY?

If ANYONE knows how bad the government can screw up a program it is them. Seniors are already on the Government program, Medicare, and know first hand how bad our current "single payer" program is.
1. Medicare requires them to buy "Medigap" insurance from PRIVATE health insurance companies to fill in all the holes in Medicare. This can cost several hundred dollars a month.
2. We've have had since 1965 to get Medicare right, but it's still a mess. Should we expect a single payer system to be better if it is rushed through by the end of this year?
3. Since Medicare reimbursement rates to doctors are low, and going lower, many Seniors have been forced to change doctors when their providers stopped accepting Medicare. Doctors just aren't required to accept Medicare patients.
4. Medicare is BROKE. No money in its coffers by the end of 2010 by the CBO estimates. Could we at least fix what we've got first?

Perhaps the author should take a cue from our Seniors. They've been around long enough to know when someone is not giving them the whole story.

You can read the Seattle Times article at:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009757801_apushealthoverhaulelderly.html