Vote to get
health care dollars back
The news has been reporting double-digit increases in health care costs in our country. Premiums rose 8 percent in 2000, 11 percent in 2001 and are expected to rise 15 percent this year. These reports say employers can no longer pay for health care. More of the cost must be passed to consumers because care providers have already cut all costs possible. Projections indicate that even more of us will become uninsured.
Even without doing intentional research, I’ve found numerous articles detailing huge profits by providers, millions of dollars in executive pay and billions in bonuses. The industry evidently considers these costs sacred because there is no mention of cutting them; this is where our health care dollars are going. With these priorities, it’s no wonder that we have the some of the world’s highest costs and worst health statistics of all developed countries. We’re letting ourselves be robbed blind!
In Oregon, we’re fortunate to live in one of the states that will get to vote on bills creating its own health care plans. Some of them are going to pass in spite of obvious opposition. This is our opportunity to take our dollars from those who use them to line their pockets and to spend them on health care. It makes sense to me, and I ask each of you to please read the common sense proposal (healthcareforalloregon.org), get registered if you’re not and vote unnecessary expense out of our budgets.
Jane Moodie
Eugene