End the Healthcare Subsidy Today!

Another place where the right wing and I agree is that we think that subsidizing someone else's healthcare is unfair.

• The right wing thinks it is unfair for someone with lots of money to subsidize the healthcare of someone without lots of money.
• I think it is unfair for someone with little money to be charged MORE for the same healthcare than someone with lots of money.

Not too long ago, I had some surgery. I have health insurance. The hospital charged about $10,000 for its part of my surgery. (The surgeon billed separately.) Because I have health insurance, the hospital charged $10,000. The hospital would have charged someone without health insurance $60,000 for the same service.

It is printed right there on the bill. It says:

• Use of operating room: $60,000
• Billed at negotiated rate of $10,000

'Negotiated rate' means that my health insurance has told the hospital it will pay only $10,000 for the operating room.

I'm fortunate to have a white collar job with a large corporation, so I can get health insurance. (Since I've had surgery, I can't get an individual policy any longer.) The poor guy who cleans the halls and bathrooms where I work can't get insurance.

It is absolutely criminal to charge him six time more than me for the same service.

End the practice of the poor subsidizing healthcare for the wealthy. If you can't see what is wrong with this practice, ask any kindergarten kid if he thinks it is a good idea to charge him $6 for a candy bar that Bill Gates can buy for $1.