The difference is that we'll be paying for profits that go to shareholders, while the costs for a government-run option (which would be borne entirely by policyholders, not taxpayers) would not include shareholders' profits. Do the math.
As for the fear that health care decisions will be made by "government bureaucrats" - who do you think is making health care decisions now? Insurance company bureaucrats! And which type of bureaucrat is more attuned to public opinion? I'm placing my bets on the one that is at least indirectly answerable to voters, who can express their opinions to their elected representatives. The insurance company bureaucrats answer only to shareholders. Oh, sure, I can move my business to another company - but what good is that, when they all collaborate to follow the same restrictive practices?
Elizabeth Fixsen, Savage
Obama: Stay home
If President George W. Bush had gone to Denmark and been on the Letterman show like President Barack Obama, you would have been on him like a cheap suit. We have so many issues at home and abroad (not that The Sun covers them, e.g. Honduras, where the U.S. is backing a leader who is trying to change the constitution of that country) that you would think the current president should stay home and work them, but no, he is off eating and drinking with Oprah.
I know he has excellent communications aboard Air Force One, but the right thing to do is be at the helm, not on some boondoggle.
Lyle Rescott, Marriottsville
It's time for transit
I was in New York City recently, determined to see as many different areas as I could. Although I am quite elderly, I decided to use the subways like a native New Yorker. It was an excellent experience. Besides the efficiency, what really impressed me was that I was surrounded by every variety of individual one could imagine, each going about his/her business courteously. I felt like a member of a vibrant community. A couple of times when I needed a question answered, someone always stepped forward and was helpful.
Back in Baltimore, I needed to go to the downtown Johns Hopkins Hospital for an appointment and a couple of tests. I decided to take the light rail from North Baltimore, transfer to the Metro and arrive in the hospital itself. What a pleasant experience. Again, when I needed a question answered, someone always could, courteously. Mass transit is a marvelous service. And, as in New York, when I looked around me I felt like the resident of a vibrant, modern city. Wake up, drivers! Travel with your fellow citizens safely and efficiently using mass transit.
Martha Little, Baltimore
