Thank-you Hillary or Barack - in Either Case Life Will Be Good and Someone Else Will Pay

USA Today reported that, "The cost of benefits for seniors soared to a record $27,289 per senior in 2007." They reported that the average Social Security benefit was $13,184. The obvious is that an additional $14,105 is provided on average to each and every senior, primarily for health care. It is hard for this writer to imagine this. My 90 year old mother pays almost $3000 per year for health insurance and has for 30 years with very little actually used for health issues. Admittedly, she is fortunate not to have experienced any health issues, however, if the government purchased health insurance for seniors beginning at age 65, I bet they could buy it commercially for $8, $10 or even $12 thousand per year and save money. Someone tell me where I'm wrong.

Now arrive on the scene, one Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to announce that they are going to provide universal health care and the government is going to have a role in it. Oh dear, wait for the costs to increase even more. I am retired and would be happy to receive a check for half of that extra $14,000 the government provides and I promise not to ask for more because one can purchase commercial health care insurance for that amount of money and select from a range of health care providers without government involvement. I wonder what it costs per senior for the government to manage the Medicare and Medicaid systems? I can't help but think that a large percentage goes to the administration of those programs. My simplified idea is just for the government to write every Social Security annuitant an annual check for $7000 and the cost will be cut by 50%. It doesn't cost a lot to simply write a check and all the other administration requirements could be abandoned.

Ok, you say - what about the chronically ill? Well alright - I'll take a cut - make my check for only $6000 and take that out of the other millions of other annuitants and that will provide the money. I still have enough to buy commercial insurance - probably a much better plan than I currently have and I'll still have money left.

But wait - I'm a senior and I don't want to be troubled. I'm just gonna vote for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton and life will be good. Hey - and all the young folks are enamored with Barack Obama so I want to tell them here and now that I appreciate their contributions - hehe - and they think their health care costs will somehow be reduced!