New member Martha

[Martha]

I am a new member. I am 49 and my husband is 52. My husband "retired" by selling all but one of the rental properties we owned and he managed over the last few years. I have an excellent job. We learned years ago that as my pay increased, we wouldn't spend much of the increase, but save for retirement and put money down on rental property my husband could fix up.

It worked well. Even thoough I have no employee pension, we have what I believe is enough to retire on.

My big worry always has been health insurance. I posted to a medical insurance topic under the FAQ section what I have learned on sources of health insurance for those who might be uninsurable because of chronic conditions. My personal (and I guess political) opinion is that we have to do something about health insurance in this country.

[debster]

Hi Martha,

Welcome! My husband is 55 and I am 51. We are currently looking ahead to ER in a few years, but the health insurance issue is the largest question in my mind, and will be our largest expenditure once we do ER. I agree that the government needs to step up to the plate & do something positive (unlike the rumored SS cuts looming ahead of us, per Greenspan's remarks a few days ago!)

I agree that the government needs to step up to the plate & do something positive

When Clinton tried to address the issue about 10 years ago, the insurance industry created the 'Harry and Louise' TV ads, and did a masterful job of creating fear and misinformation in the American Public. For those couple years the industry was afraid to raise rates and it curtailed costs for awhile.

Now that the industry is not being threatened politically, they have been free to ring up record profits with little end in sight. It is a powerful lobby with unlimited funding and they will never give up easily!

Here is what I suggest we do about preventing the insurance companies from attacking again when someone puts forward a new National Health Care Plan.

The actors in the "Harry and Louise" commercial can be found thru the actors union in Hollywood. We then research THEIR health coverage situation (the actors in the original commercial I mean).

This was done once before. A filmmaker found the "Marlboro Cowboy" used in all their ads. He was sick with Cancer.

We now make this public and do our own TV commercial with the "Harry and Louise" actors.

What if they are rich and famous? Somehow, knowing actors, I don't think so.

Talk about National Coverage? We would get it big time.

bill

[sgeeeee]

. . .The actors in the "Harry and Louise" commercial can be found thru the actors union in Hollywood. We then research THEIR health coverage situation (the actors in the original commercial I mean).

This was done once before. A filmmaker found the "Marlboro Cowboy" used in all their ads. He was sick with Cancer.

We now make this public and do our own TV commercial with the "Harry and Louise" actors.

. . .

Good idea . . . but I'm sure Rumsfeld has had them offed by now.