I worked in the health care profession for 50 years and have observed and practiced within Medicaid and Medicare both of which work very well.

Most of the problems that are encountered are caused by the bureaucrats who administer them and unscrupulous venders who are present in all facets of American life.

That being said both of these government run health care plans, along with our VA Health System, are eons ahead of any health system anywhere on earth, literally miles and miles ahead of Canada and all of Europe.

I have traveled both in Canada and in Europe and also in the Middle East where health care is non-existent( except for the politicians and the wealthy), and in these travels I have talked to the people who live there about some of their experiences and they are all the same.

If you are not sick, everything works well. But, and this is a very big but, if you get sick it is a nightmare of denied services and bureaucracy before you even get to see a physician, and then an even bigger nightmare before you see a specialist or surgeon.

Each person I talked to has known someone who died while waiting for approval.

The exception is Israel whose health care seems to exceeds ours.

Maybe we should take a look at that.

The Obama plan will not only wreck the services we enjoy today it will bankrupt our already bankrupted nation.

For one tenth of the projected cost of the Obama plan, one tenth, you could buy health insurance from a private insurer for everyone who is not covered in the U.S. today and give jobs to a few thousand people in the private health insurance sector to boot.

And another 4 percent would pay for insurance to cover the deductible and co-pay on those who are covered by Medicare but unable to pay the required co-payment and deductible.

Not only will the Obama plan do away with Medicaid and Medicare, which are working and working well, it will do away with the VA healthcare system as well.

Please tell Congress to fix what we have — the best in the world — and to quit even thinking about socialized medicine

Here is the Congressional Switchboard Telephone Numbers: 1-866-220-0044, 1-877-851-6437, 1-800-828-0498, 1-800-614-2803 and there are many more toll free numbers or you can call their local branch offices.

Be sure you have your 10-digit zip code so the switchboard can direct your call to the correct congressman or congresswoman who represents you. You can find your 10-digit zip code on any piece of junk mail that reaches your home.

An equally effective way is to e-mail them but you have to do it their way or they will not read it. Go to www.house.gov or www.senate.gov and navigate to your congressman or senator’s Web site, Find “Contact Us” and fill out the contact information. then you can send a e-mail and get an answer.

Perry Staley, Ironton