Thanks to Eugene Weekly for printing Peter Holden’s letter about the scandalous cost of health care (Dec. 27). I had a similar experience when my aged mother was billed $185,000 for a week in the hospital and a hip replacement. Medicare paid almost all of it, but we should consider how our tax dollars are getting ripped off.
Already in advance of the 2020 elections, Medicare for All, quite possibly a plank in the Democratic Party agenda, is getting push-back propaganda from Wall Street. Their estimates in tens of trillions are based on current prices and costs in our broken system.
A fair estimate should deduct the cost of extortionary private insurance, and the scandalous costs of provider care and administration, that otherwise could be negotiated to a more reasonable level. And how about no more $2,000-a-day hospital rooms and expensive TV drug commercials?
Assuming Medicare policy would want a cost-effective, healthier American population, preventative medicine would most likely become more the universal standard and would continue to drive down cost.
With profit not being a goal in a government administrated system, plus all Americans contributing an affordable health care premium, the cost of Medicare for All would be doable and not break any budgets.
Most of all, we could achieve a healthier nation, which we don’t have now.
It’s time we caught up with the rest of the advanced world and put an end to the injustice of unaffordable health care.
Russ Desaulnier
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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