Minnick is wrong

Dear Walt Minnick: I recently read your statement on health care legislation and am disappointed at your support of the private insurance industry. Have you heard of Wendell Potter?

Why do you support only private coverage when you and your fellow legislators have access to the government-run Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan? Is that socialized medicine? Have you ever had an elderly relative covered by Medicare? Do you know how well it works for the patient? Do you know how low the overhead is for this single-payer system? Have you read of the outstanding services government-run VA provides?

Idaho taxpayers pay $40 million of indigent costs every year. Our local hospital writes off an equal amount of unpaid emergency-room expenses. The hospital recoups their costs with higher charges. I pay for both costs with higher insurance premiums and property taxes. If the uninsured get coverage via a public option plan, my property taxes and my insurance premiums should decrease. Have you read the Commonwealth Fund study that claims a new public plan could have a net savings of $3 trillion by 2020? Explain to me, please, why my insurance premiums pay for political advertising and lobbyists.

Janet Callen

Coeur d’Alene