Gray-haired wisdom

National Review, Sept 25, 2006 by Tom Gibson

As a member of the potentially tyrannical elderly, I rise in protest of Kevin Hassett's "The Tyranny of the Retiree" in the last issue. Obviously, my generation is ailing and in the process of dying, and therefore requires more and more medical care. However, we have also been required to invest in the public-health sector of government for many years via Medicare withholding. We continue to subsidize Medicare Part B with monthly payments. When I look at Medicaid in its various forms, I see a lot more spent on obstetric and pediatric care than on the elderly poor. The majority of patients in county public-health departments are not elderly. In addition, I resent being lumped in with the AARP, which many of us see as self-serving rather than elderly serving. Many elderly people would vote for privatizing Social Security, opting instead for Health Savings Accounts and catastrophic insurance.

Tom Gibson, M.D.

Scottsboro, Ala.