We will all pay for others' health care

November 25, 2009 4:23 am

This is regarding Megan Hicks' Nov. 10 letter ["Ask me: We need public option health care"].

Ms. Hicks tell a story of incurring $7,000 in medical bills after insurance paid out, citing this as the reason Congress needs to adopt the public health care option.

What Ms. Hicks is suggesting is that all Americans share the burden of her medical predicament.

I disagree, and I don't think that those who support the public option have thought this out.

Let's say that one-half of the U.S. population incurs the same level of medical expenses that Ms. Hicks did, and let's also assume that the same number of people file taxes every year.

The public option is about having a government-run insurance policy available at a cost paid by taxpayers. It does not promise that it will cover all the costs of medical events; this is why many people buy Medicare supplemental policies to cover costs that Medicare does not.

This means that in addition to medical expenses I incur, Ms. Hicks wants me to bear, through taxation, hers as well.

While the $7,000 medical bill is serious, raising my and her taxes by $7,000 a year is equally traumatic, every payday.

When the government pays for something, that means the taxpayers pay. The sooner we acknowledge this, the sooner common sense will return to the health care debate.

Be wary of those wishing to do well by reaching into your pocket. Ask your neighbor for a ride in the car they bought with your money when they traded in their clunker.

Randy Brooks

Spotsylvania