A Response to an Article my Father Sent Me

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110302625.html

I think Mr. Gerson's idea of balance is right, and I don't think that transferring some of the cost of caring for older Americans to younger Americans is a bad thing. For one, it's hard to apply a statistic to an individual. Statistically, young people cost the health care system less than old people. But you never know if you're going to be one of the young people who costs the system more. That's what insurance does--you pay just in case that person is you. The risk may be less, so maybe you pay less, but you can't say that every young person costs less than every old person and therefore all young people should pay less. Also, the health of older Americans is not just a moral issue but a public good as well. Is it a stretch to say that most young Americans have a higher quality of life because their parents live longer and have access to elder care? ;) As for us needing the system when we get older, I know some people would rather shift to a mandatory HSA system so that we are paying for our own care in old age rather than relying on medicare, but for most people the net effect is probably the same as paying into medicare, and for the people who would be responsible and save more in their HSA, in some way it's at the expense of people who simply don't have the resources to contribute to an HSA.