About 50% of total health care costs in the United States are spent on 5% of the population. As I’m aging, I fear I’m taking more than my share. Older adults eat up more health care costs than younger members of the population. Scott, my pal, says we’ve earned it. I’m not sure that’s true in my case.
Recently, I’ve been greedy: a Widowmaker heart attack, two serious back surgeries and two titanium hips. Even with good insurance, I paid a bunch for each of those. But my guess is, so did everyone else.
You get a knock at your door one morning, and a well-dressed insurance man says, “Sorry, Mr. Kuhl is at it again. You need to chip in three cents to cover your share of his medical bill.”
My hunch is, I could have been more thrifty in my earlier years. Drink less scotch. Stress less. Eat my vegetables. Get an annual checkup.
I’d like to apologize to you. But thanks for the three cents.