Medicare: We should all be so lucky

October 21st, 2009 at 09:32am Linda Grist Cunningham

On Friday, 87-year-old Maggie was on her tractor mowing grass, pulling the summer plants and planting the fall mums, chopping down the tomatoes and taking the dog to the vet. On Saturday, she was flat on her back in the hospital’s stroke wing wondering exactly what truck had squashed her left side.

Over the past week I have learned a whole bunch about stroke, rehabilitation, hospitals and assisted living. I’ve developed a new appreciation for health care professionals and legal things like living wills, trusts and powers of attorney. And, then there is Medicare. Maggie swiped a card and instantly everything was taken care of, from admission to rehabilitation. She paid for the hairdresser to come to her room. That’s it.

So, tell me again why we ought not have a single payer, government run health care program for everyone in this country?

You can learn more about health care reform at HealthyRockford.com. I’ve made up my mind. I want Medicare and I am more than happy to pay for it. And, I don’t care if all those bureaucratic insurance companies go out of business. The care my mother-in-law is getting courtesy of Medicare and the ease with which the paperwork is handled ensures she’ll spend her engery in rehab and not in fighting the insurance companies.

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