Age-rating insurance increases bad news

Members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, are determined to raise the rates those over 55 years of age currently pay for health insurance. While the congressional members exclude themselves from rate increases, we the hard-working seniors will continue to pay significantly more for our health care costs — five times or more to be covered by the insurance carriers. Congress sets the rate increases for themselves while we seniors are at the mercy of the insurance carriers. We do not deserve an age tax that is not only unfair but also unaffordable.

Don’t allow Congress to pass this outrageous increase in order to satisfy the insurance carriers. Can you picture seniors paying almost $18,000 a year due to an age-rating increase of five to nine times their previous rate?

Ask yourself: What is the difference between death and taxes? The answer being, thank God, Congress doesn’t meet every year to make death worse than it is. Every year we seem to get tax increases while congressional members get pay raises.

The public, specifically seniors, must make their voices heard loud and clear. Do not allow Congress to pass this so-called age tax on seniors that requires their money to be utilized for living expenses and other cost of living requirements, including funeral services, etc. Marvin A. Berkowitz, M.D., Boca Raton