To the editor:

I recently visited a local clinic to have my ears irrigated, a 10-minute procedure. The total amount billed to my insurer (Medicare) was $320, of which $192 was for the procedure and $128 for the office visit, although both were on the same day. Medicare approved $135 and paid the provider $108. My secondary insurance paid the balance. So, why am I so angry, and why should YOU be?

Quite simply, we are all paying for the predatory practices of some, but by no means all, medical practitioners. The difference between the outrageously high amounts billed to insurance companies and the amounts paid to providers turns into tax-deductible “write-offs.” The insurance companies in turn can thus justify higher premiums on the basis of increased cost of medical care.

Isn’t it obscene that our government can spend billions to kill people in foreign lands, yet lacks the political will to provide affordable care to all its citizens?

We are constantly being reminded by the media that Medicare is going broke and that, for the next generation, Social Security is no longer a given. So, what are our legislators doing about it? Think about it as you vote this November.

Eva Edmands,

Lawrence