Where does money come from?

To the editor:

When I was working and getting private health insurance through my employer, I still had to pay half of the monthly premium ($450-odd for myself and my children), while my employer paid half.

When my children became adults and were no longer covered by my health insurance, the amount went down to about $300.

Additionally, there were co-pays for seeing my doctor (aside from the free annual visit), and even higher co-pays for specialists. The dental coverage was only for two annual visits for routine cleanings. There also were co-pays for prescriptions.

Now that I am retired and have a Medicare Advantage Plan through Social Security, my premium for Medicare is $145 a month for Parts A and B, plus $29 a month for Part D (medications). I still have co-pays for my primary care physician, specialists and medications. Dental coverage is non-existent.

I don’t need to tell how many thousands it has cost me these last two years. If we had universal health insurance for all, and my Medicare contribution was $160 a month and I did not have to pay an additional amount for Part D and did not have any co-pays — and dental was totally covered — I think I would be ahead of the game.

So when people complain that their taxes will go up, perhaps they should consider how much they are paying now, even if they have coverage through their employers. What if your employer decided to not continue providing a health insurance plan for his employees? Then you would be up that proverbial creek without a paddle.

Yes. As Bernie Sanders says, “Health care is a human right, not a privilege.” So is education. Do our children not already have free kindergarten-through-12th grade education?

People ask, “Where is the money going to come from to pay for all this?” I remember a time when CUNY was free, and the cost for SUNY was minimal.

So I ask, “How come every year, when the defense budget is announced, no one asks, ‘Where is the money going to come from?’”

On Sept. 28, 2018, Trump signed the U.S. Department of Defense appropriations bill. The approved 2019 Department of Defense discretionary budget was $686.1 billion. It also was described as “$617 billion for the base budget, and another $69 billion for war funding.”

Oh, how we love to spend money on bombs that kill people rather than on medicines that save lives, or on education for our children.

Finally I ask: Which candidate will do best for our well-being, and that of our children and grandchildren?

Irene Diaz-Reyes

Have an opinion? Share your thoughts as a letter to the editor. Make your submission to letters@riverdalepress.com. Please include your full name, phone number (for verification purposes only), and home address (which will not be published).