Cash for Clunkers for seniors?
When "youngsters" denigrate our medical coverage as too expensive, they should remember that young, male drivers cause the most car accidents. How about if we put a cap on payoffs for their injuries? Certainly we shouldn't have to pay for their surgeries and therapy, or the problems that will affect them later in life.
In fact, we could refuse to treat anyone whose drinking or drug use causes an accident or wants our money to pay for drug and alcohol rehab. Since they've already proven that they're clunkers, think of what we'd be saving as they aged.
Look at your health insurance and you'll probably find that it pays less for you to see a mental health professional than it pays to cover an alcohol or drug addict.
People need to realize that no senior wants an expensive medical procedure. It takes time for healing out of the few years we have left. At 62 I've noticed that whenever I go for therapy I see many young people there with sports- or accident-related injuries. And remember that most problems with us are genetic or age-related and you youngsters likely will inherit them. Enjoy your rock climbing while you can, because you'll either be dead or old one day.
Everyone now alive who will benefit from Medicare has been paying into it during their working years. It's time to shift the focus off senior clunkers and remove age discrimination from the health care debate.
Paula Coughlan
Elburn