Letter to the Editor

Medicare for all; cut MILL complex

Dear Jason Smith and Dear Roy Blunt,

Stop playing games with the lives of your constituents in regard to health care. When recent, independent studies show that the overall, annual cost of healthcare in the USA is approaching $4 trillion, yet we leave millions with no access to preventive health care, high deductibles and co-pays to pay themselves, and obscene drug costs.

We all have a golden opportunity to join the rest of the modern world, cut our overall healthcare costs in half and cover every citizen with preventive and comprehensive healthcare. Don't blow this opportunity by playing games with our lives!

Please submit a proposal that will set in place improved Medicare for every citizen. Fix Medicare so the system can negotiate the best and most fair prescription drug costs. The anticipated, resultant annual savings of nearly $2 trillion could easily be invested in infrastructure, education and training for works, and business and product development that would benefit everyone. Some of those investments would have turn-around values of 5-plus times the initial investments!

End the control of the MILL (Military Industrial Legislative & Lobbying) complex over you and our nation. Valid estimates of the total annual cost of our military imperialism at unprecedented levels in 200-plus nations are $1.3 trillion! Please do not vote to spend more on the MILL Complex! Please cut this in half and invest the savings! Lastly, please schedule regular face-to-face town hall meetings in the 8th District!

Denis Rigdon, Cape Girardeau