Dear Mr President:

I enjoyed the Town Meeting on Health Care you held in Wisconsin this week.

Once again you demonstrated your fantastic speaking and phenomenal relationship building skills. I enjoyed your staying on track with the issues and responding directly to questions posed.

You stated we must do much to reduce the health cost per citizen (and cost per Medicare participant) in the short term. I agree and have two suggestions directed to your points and time frame.

1. Put a means test on Medicare. The cut off should be for those who are eligible for Medicare and whose annual income (notice I didn't say taxable income) is greater than $500,000.00 . I don't think sale of a personally-occupied residence should count in this figure.

The super rich and old money in this country get a lot of income from trust funds, and other tax-sheltered investments. Lawful use of tax codes, shouldn't protect this group from the same share of the country's financial burdens borne by the rest of us.

2. Please change the rules so that Medicare can negotiate prices with the drug companies. Because costs here are "frozen" and excessive and Medicare can't negotiate for us, some citizens "cross the border" to purchase legitimate medications in Canada. Why do these same medications cost so much less in other countries than here?

On a personal note, Medicare and especially the new drug plans are paying over $500 per month for my wife's medications. When she reaches her plan's "donut hole" and we need to pick up the full amount, our food budget will go below $ 0.00 . This is that often discussed medications vs. food problem too many of us have in this wealthy country, even with Medicare.

Pharmaceutical companies seem to be the ONLY providers involved in health care (except the Health Insurance companies) who have to operate with ever diminishing caps on what they can charge or receive.

Companies and individuals who are paying for health insurance see their premiums rising while at the same time hospitals are in crunch mode and are laying off healthcare professionals in a wholesale manner. These people in "recession proof" jobs are now joining the unemployed and uninsured. What a slap...they were taking care of people in need yesterday, today they are the people in need with no one there to help them.

Mr President. I hope at least one of these issues stated could be alleviated by an Executive Order. Waiting on Congress to act to help ALL of us could be too long for some who
are drowning now.

Again speaking for many others, I would like to address the dastardly methods used by medical bill collectors and their hospital counterparts. These folks are out of control and preying on honest people in hard times. They need significant controls placed on them.

I am sure you are aware of the number of people in the past 3 years who have been driven to bankruptcy to save their family homes and suffered major credit record impacts due to the medical agents' aggressive actions. The credit score deflation both affects how debtors can service their debts, help their families and at the same time work (if their credit score doesn't keep the out of the market altogether).

Perhaps some sort of moritorium or revision of the credit score process could be "encouraged" to ease the burden on the real victims in the middle class. Easing pressure due to bad recent events would allow consumers to move us through the housing and manufactured goods improvement, enable them to get jobs, mortgages, cars, and debt consolidation loans. This could go far to remove the spurrious effect of medical collection tyrrany and blackmail.

I enjoy these public chats and will be back next week with more on health care. Under the surface there are so many fractures, it is no wonder the medical economics are killing us.

Have a Great Week.

With Respect,

Sane Citizen