By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady
My February 1 e-pinion declared that while we’d all like to make universal health care an entitlement, it’s just not going to happen as aging Baby Boomers threaten to collapse the system. Serious compromise will be called for. Well, that column generated many interesting responses. Here’s a sampling:
In our readers’ responses, several themes emerged. Many writers proudly mentioned their Boomer birthdays (I noted that I was born in July of ’46) and many commented about the “entitlement mentality” toward health care.
‘Get off Your Butt!’
–“I don’t think the world owes me a living. If I want to drive a Mercedes, then I’m going to have to work for it. If I would rather work less and drive a Toyota Corolla, I can do that, too. The same is true with health insurance. Why should I expect my employer or anyone else to pay for health insurance for me? I’m sick to death with the entitlement mentality. Get over it! If you want something, get off your butt and work for it.”
–“Where in the Constitution, the Bible, or [anywhere] else does it say that anyone is ‘entitled’ to more health care than they personally are willing to pay for?”
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–“Your article was right on, but you left one important point out! Where does personal responsibility fit in? With the majority of Americans overweight and unhealthy, there is an expectation that the healthcare system will take care of them with some sort of quick fix! No healthcare system can fix a lifetime of unhealthy choices and neglect. (By the way, I was born in November 1946 to a Dad who [had] just returned from a POW camp in Germany after his B-24 was shot from the sky!)”
–“How about taking responsibility for ourselves for once and not putting the burden on the government. Eat properly and exercise, for heaven’s sake. Get plenty of rest, and live a clean life. If we weren’t so FAT and sedentary, we’d be a lot healthier.”
Wonderful, Brave, and Sometimes Crazy Boomers
Other readers seemed to feel strongly about their positions as Boomers:
–“You make some very good points—the Boomer generation is challenged with so much already that happens in the workplace, and now they have the burden of a healthcare crisis on their hands! I, too, am part of this (wonderful and brave and sometimes crazy) generation, being born in 1950.”
–“As another Boomer, September ’46, I [agree] that health care is not a growing concern, it is a here-and-now concern! Our values will have to change to recognize the problem we face. I’m not sure the system is broken; I think we need a new system.”
“November ’46 for me, and so I, too, am near the leading edge of the pig in the python. We all know what ultimately happens to that pig, and we are inexorably squeezed along toward that end (pun planned). Social Security and Medicare will probably not survive, but we knew that years ago. The folks who really have something to worry about come along after the pig—our kids and grandkids.”
All Join Hands … if Only!
–“We can still dream of the healthcare industry, pharmaceutical companies, employers, and employees all joining hands and finding the solution to our healthcare crisis—can’t we? If only!”
–“Sorry, but your opinion is not only misguided but also inflammatory and insulting. Late Boomers are already looking at the Social Security payments we’ve made to date and wondering to what degree the benefits we “bought” will be ripped off in the name of expediency.”
–“I disagree that people really do not care how much medical care costs. For employees in smaller companies who are paying as much as 50% of their personal premiums and 100% of family premiums, the monthly costs of healthcare coverage often equal their mortgage payment. Those people really care—and have had to cancel coverage because the costs were too high to bear.”
–“We have almost 50 million Americans with zero to limited access to health care, many of whom are children. How we can square that with our stated values is a very good question.”
–“In the future, we will comparison shop for health care like we shop for other goods and services with the prices posted and known up front.”
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–“Low income people do not expect ‘the best.’ They hope for any health care at all. They often do not seek health care because they cannot pay for it. The sense of entitlement comes more from the wealthier, more educated among us.”
–“We need a better healthcare plan for everyone, and if it raises taxes, that seems a better alternative to the horrible consequences of no care for preventable illnesses or no life-sustaining measures for the seriously sick who also happen to be older. If you were in their shoes, your words might well change, as would your perspective.”
Readers, once again, thank you for reading and writing. If today’s column sparks more thoughts, just use the Share Your Comments button on this page.