Health Care: An American Dilemma

Ask anyone from around age 60 and up about health care. They'll tell you unbelievable stories about doctors making house calls and $20 hospital stays. Go down the age ladder and people who were just entering the workforce in the 1970s will tell you $25 ER visits and physicians like Dr. Capella in Albany, still offering care for $20 a visit! Some of the first to get "health insurance" were government employees. Private employers followed, and by 1985 just about everybody had employer-paid health insurance, which was one of the benefits job-seekers looked for. Things began to turn in the early 90s when suddenly employees were being asked to 'chip in,' and by the end of the decade it was "employer subsidzed" and today consider yourself lucky if you can buy your own insurance through your workplace. What really happened that drove the costs so high? Many blame the HMOs and insurance companies. Wherever the blame lies, the high cost of care is a major contributor to the sagging economy.

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This message is from a Virgin Mobile customer. Enjoy.