MR. Padgett's correct position on health care is the same as most of the voting, tax paying, working population of this nation. If our politicians really wanted to fix health care and make it affordable for all, they should have had town hall meetings before the house and senate bills ever began. I have always had to pay co payments and deductibles. In my experiences with the health care providers and the insurance companies, I have learned there are billing and policy practices that cost us money we should not have to pay. It is no secret our costs include hidden charges for those who won't pay or don't pay. I understand that because that is how all businesses work. There is a percentage for bad debts incurred or anticipated. I believe those who work hard and play by the rules have had it with those who don't and still get a "free ride". I understand there are those who need indigent care, I am all for helping the needy, but we are now helping the greedy on both sides of the billing desk. I believe honest hard working Americans understand professionals in the legal, medical, and other fields deserve higher incomes because of the expense for the training they received. But we also know that the love of money is the root of all evil. Healthcare is not like shopping for a new or used car. When you or a loved one is sick, your thoughts are on their medical attention. It is hard to ask about the costs or about seeking cheaper but equal treatment elsewhere when someone is suffering. It is sad but I believe that disadvantage is taken advantage of by billing departments in medical facilities. For example I know for a fact two surgeries were needed on the same individual by two different surgeons. Similar surgeries... one on the hand(carpal tunnel) and one on the foot(heel spur). The patient was forewarned not to get the surgery at one certain hospital because of unnecessary pre-op testing. The patient paid no out of pocket for that surgery. The other surgeon required pre-op testing at that same hospital which resulted in a $1200.00 out of pocket expense. The surgeries were basically the same in fact the the one with out the co pay was more intense. This is only one example of what could be fraud. I understand malpractice insurance cost could play a part in this. Hello, tort reform could all but eliminate that. Medical billing codes for insurance benefits is another big problem... wrong code payment denied. Then the patient has to become a lawyer, medical professional, and billing accountant to get reimbursed. It is not rocket science to make policies to correct this. This si the kind of information that could have been gleaned from town hall meetings. Instead of bureacrats and lobbyists placing undue burdens on a patient, professionals with integrity in the insurance and medical fields could come have together with equitable policies that could be regulated by the proper legislation to protect the non assuming patient and justly compensate the medical facility for their services. This is a common sense approach. To completely overhaul a system as complex as this heathcare industry, which is one sixth of our economy, by a government that operates on a Chinese credit card with spending limits close to maxing out is totally incomprehensible to citizens who have managed a business that "had" to produce a profit. I know those who are for this thing believe it is good for us but it is not. It will eventually be single payer, one size fits all, socialistic health care and we can not afford it. The government has not, will not, and can not cut wastes. As Pelosi said "a lot of things are promised on a campaign trail". Americans are intelligent well educated citizens, if this thing was good it would have been presented to them step by step. We should have and could have been part of the process. Non conforming elected representatives were bribed or threatened into submission. There was no televised debate. There was no attention paid to opposition. The process is built upon lies and distortions. Votes were cast by members of congress who still do not know what they voted for. This is change all right but not "change" our founding fathers believed in. "Taxation without representation" ring a bell. Maybe those tea parties weren't so unAmerican after all Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid

Posted by Mike Goude on 1/8/2010

No matter which side of the fence one is on, one has to be suspect of the back room deals. The fact that Repubs. were shut out. This does not bode well for "we the people" only one party was involved in the design. Makes me nervous. Senators on the fence or against reform were given huge lumps of cash for their states. Lack of personal integrity comes to mind. The government cannot be all things to all people. Healthcare is not perfect. I am not saying don't have reform. We need to take baby steps. Get medicare/medicaid fraud and abuse under control then move to step two, look for ways to work with private providers to keep costs down and extend more coverage. Remove the provision that says you cannot take your employer based healthcare with you. Common sense people please, I know there has to be some left in Washington. That type of sensible direction will do far more good that creating 2100 pages of gibberish that may totally turn this on it's head and can never be stood up again.

Posted by Lee Padgett on 1/6/2010

I would think with all the smoke filled, closed door, back room, wheeling,dealing vote buying going on in Washington D.C., spelling would be the last thing you should be concerned about. Since you are so concerned about proper spelling and grammar skills, you might want to note "et al" included Mr E.D., Ms. Maddow, Mr. Matthews and the other left wing socialist agenda driven so called journalists. You guys kill me. You complain about Fox News Channel and conservative talk radio commentators while the liberal media silently sits on their lips about the corruption in this health care debaucle. What happened to all the transparency and promises of C-Span airing these meetings? Even C-Span wants to know. If this was the Republicans in the majority, it would be non stop liberal ridicule 24/7. But that's ok.... the majority of Americans know "it is what it is" even with the left wing liberal talking heads saying "it isn't". In the future, you might want to check with Mr. Webster before you introduce words like propaganda into this discussion.

Posted by Mike Goude on 1/5/2010

Great writing! The left wing nuts will of course try to marginalize and ridicule you but I believe that you speak for a large portion of Americans who are figuring out (finally) that Obama is nothing more than a Socialist. Oh and to the last poster, if you were referring to her spelling as you say please tell me how spelling can be "Paranoid divisive propaganda"? I do however agree that the Rachael Maddow show is much better at twisting truth than Oberman.

Posted by on 1/5/2010

Actually, Mr. Goude, my comment was based upon the lack of attention to spelling in Ms. Wheeler's comment as compared to her letter. PS - I prefer Ms. Maddow.

Posted by on 1/4/2010

"paranoid, "divisive", "propaganda"....you probably lifted that from MSNBC"s Keith Oberman et al.

Posted by Mike Goude on 1/4/2010

Bribes! Why of course not! This is just that hopey and changey stuff. Working out well for us; isn't it? Get rid of all democraps in 2010.

Posted by Captain Thomas Daggett, retired on 1/4/2010

And shame on you for referencing Hitler. Fear-mongering, plain and simple.

Posted by on 1/3/2010

Paranoid divisive propaganda. You probably lifted it from Fox News.

Posted by on 1/3/2010

Correction: I definitely meand Senator Harry Reid and not Jack....I don't believe Jack Reid would have taken part in a diaster such as this. Bonnie Wheeler

Posted by Bonnie Wheeler on 1/1/2010