Not trying to dogpile on you Tom, but I agree with Richard. Something needs to be done about healthcare, or pretty soon only the wealthy will be able to afford it. I have watched my own insurance costs get raised every year for the past 5 years. My employer has jumped ship and bought into new insurance 3 times in 5 years. It has helped, but the cost is still going up and the benefits down. I'm one of the lucky one, because my employer pays my insurance and I can afford (barely) to foot the bill for my wife and kids. We are also all fairly healthy, so we aren't hit with having to buy prescription drugs every month. Most of us who are young have options and can make it work, but when people become disabled or retired, what are they supposed to do? I have a close friend who is retired. He received a heart transplant about 5 years ago. If he were to pay for his drugs out of pocket it would cost about $21,000 / year. His insurance informed him that they would be reducing his benefits to about $3000 / year. He lives on a modest retirement from the Forest Service (he's an ex-game warden) and hasn't any ability to come up with the $19,000 remaining. He's one of the lucky ones, because during WWII he was a young Marine fighting on the little island of Okinawa at age 15 (lied about his age) and was shot in the thigh. Recieved a purple Heart, so that bumped him into a higher class with the VA. It's looking like most of it will now be covered. I bet he didn't know that getting shot in 1945 would save his life in 2003, but there you have it. Now what about those who didn't get shot? What will they do? die? I like to think we live in a country that can take care of its own. I hope somebody finds a solution soon.

-Steve G.