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Some Medicare reform will harm

To the editor:

Congress is considering proposals to alter Medicare. Paul Ryan, R Wisconsin, is advocating changing Medicare from a “defined benefit” to a “defined contribution” program. Instead of a guaranteed level of coverage, a dollar amount would be set for Medicare beneficiaries to pay premiums for private insurance.

Problems with this include the fact that this would not protect those of us who rely on Medicare from increasing private insurance premiums.

Secondly the same amount of money would likely buy less coverage than Medicare currently does in that Medicare is more efficient than private insurance. In terms of administrative costs alone, the Kaiser Foundation estimates that while Medicare’s administrative costs are only about 2 percent, private insurance companies spend at a minimum 17 percent.

One reform that would enhance Medicare is allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription costs directly with pharmaceutical companies. This is currently prohibited by law. Doing so would save a great deal of money without putting our elders at risk.

As Americans, we have a responsibility to care for one another and should not allow some of the most vulnerable among us to fall victim to political ideology.

Terry Kinzel

Hancock

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