I understand some of the factors draining the Medicare program: fraud, baby-boomers coming of age, misuse of the money, etc., but in going through the history of Medicare I came across something I never heard of before, and would never have approved of.

In 1983, the plan was changed to include all presidents, members of Congress, federal judges and other personnel. Government workers hired after 1984 were also adopted into the plan.

Presidents make, what, $400,000 or more per year, plus most have millions before they are elected, and they get Medicare?

Hello. Why are they stealing from those who really need it?

If I were getting that amount of money every year, I could afford my own personal doctor (or pretty darn close).

Who was president at the time? I was shocked.

Congress needs to go through and re-do qualifications for Medicare and leave out the millionaires. Include those age 65 and over, the disabled (limited to support of one person), prescription medications and catastrophic illnesses, hospice cost, etc. Set a fair-limit income chart.

I am sorry I didn’t find out about it sooner, and that no one, as far as I know, has tried to correct the situation. It is just another underhanded thing the government pulled on the public. And now government officials are forcing the public to take Obamacare or other insurance by 2014. You can bet the insurance companies are happy about that.

Carl Kimball, Lewiston