The debate over health care seems to come down to the terms private health care versus single payer. Unfortunately, I believe the use of the term single payer is not helpful.
Posted: Sunday, June 28, 2009 12:00 am
The debate over health care seems to come down to the terms private health care versus single payer. Unfortunately, I believe the use of the term single payer is not helpful.
No one knows exactly what that means. I submit we begin talking about Medicare for all. We all know what Medicare is.
That system for retirees that has been in existence since 1965. With Medicare, the infrastructure is already in place, and the plan that has been put forth is to cover everyone regardless of age or income. This would be paid for by an 8 percent business tax on wages paid and a 4 percent individual payroll tax.
This would be much lower than the 19 percent paid by employers for health care. Think of the savings to businesses that could be used to pay higher wages or to hire more employees. The states no longer would be required to pay for Medicaid, helping them through this trying economic time.
People who were laid off still would have health coverage, and those who want to continue to purchase private coverage could do so for those things not covered by Medicare. Retirees regularly purchase supplemental coverage. This is referred to as a publicly financed, privately provided health care system, or Medicare. Makes sense to me.
Patricia Cottingham, Lincoln
Help the world's hungry
An article in the June 20 Journal Star, "U.N.: World hunger reaches 1B mark," reported that the current financial meltdown has resulted in an additional 100 million hungry people worldwide compared with last year, pushing the ranks of those who consume fewer than 1,800 calories per day above 1 billion for the first time.
This isn't just a matter calling for private charity. Hungry people rioted in more than 30 countries last year, and soaring food prices led to deadly food riots in Haiti that culminated in the overthrow of the prime minister. "A hungry world is a dangerous world," said the head of the World Food Program, a U.N. agency. Yet current assistance from the United States to reduce international poverty represents only one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget, and assistance to achieve American political and security-related goals outweighs poverty-reduction assistance by about 50 to 1.
The structure of the United States foreign assistance system was established in 1961 and needs revision. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to better coordinate foreign assistance so it will become more effective in fighting poverty. It would require greater input from those served by the program or project to make sure they have a stake in its success. Right now, our foreign assistance program has 33 goals, 75 priority areas and 247 directives.
This legislation would require simpler and clearer objectives and focus on outcomes. Finally, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 calls for a coordinated strategy for implementation that would encompass our federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, international agencies and the efforts of other nations.
As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, our congressman, Jeff Fortenberry, is in a position to affect the future of the world's poor, and hence global security, in a very significant way.
William M. Wehrbein, Lincoln
Roads wastes money
I see the Nebraska 2 money pit (Lincoln to Nebraska City) is still not full. This approximately 10-year-old highway has had major lane closures about every two years for crack and bump repair, scarifying, French drains and other sundry reasons since its completion. And they're at it again this year! Three supervisors parked in trucks observing six people working (June 16 at about 2 p.m. near Palmyra).
Now the ultimate obscenity. Seems the Nebraska 2 weigh station at Nebraska City had a mold problem requiring its closure last year.
It has now been torn down to its slab and is being completely rebuilt. I have two questions. First, how did the Nebraska Department of Roads housekeeping allow a less than 10-year-old building to get mold in the first place?
Second, why was it necessary to completely raze this nice brick building? Houses flooded by Hurricane Katrina (I can't imagine how much mold was there to contend with) are being rebuilt from the inside out, usually without destroying the outside shell.
Does Louisiana know something Nebraska does not? No, I think it's nothing more than our roads department's penchant for wastefully spending taxpayer money where it's least needed. And they have the audacity to continue to beg for more!
On a lighter note: Seems the Japanese have invented a product that will save the department a ton of money. It's a shovel that will stand up by itself!
John Hollenbeck, Auburn
About those monsters
Robert Fiedler's letter "Cost of the monsters" in the Journal Star on June 22 made reference to the high cost of wind-generated electricity.
Sure, it costs more to produce electricity from wind generators right now. On the other hand, it doesn't take an economist to predict what will happen to the cost of electricity as the nonrenewable coal and natural gas we currently rely on to generate electricity are used up.
An intelligent society does not wait until we are all shivering in our homes to start figuring out alternate methods of creating the energy we need. The time to do it is now while there are still options.
By the way, I didn't vote for Obama, either.
Jay D. Edmiston, Lincoln