Chuck Molnar, Senior's Corner, Dec. 19, 2009: Health care reform confusing to seniors

can see why many seniors are concerned about the federal government's health reform program since November happens to be my birth month. This is a period in which Medicare recipients are allowed to change their Medicare Supplemental Health Insurance provider without any qualifying factors.

After meeting with a HICAP representative, talking to my insurance agent and even comparing a much lower cost supplemental insurance policy to the one I presently have, I still have nagging doubts as to what I should do. After all it is a matter of one's health care isn't it?

If you have read anything at all about health care reform it actually should, I think, be titled: "Health Insurance Reform", you know that the effort to improve our health system, and to make certain all Americans are included, has gone on since the time of Teddy Roosevelt's administration.

In spite of out-of-control costs, we still hesitate to go from the known to the unknown. But that didn't stop people like Christopher Columbus and Magellan. Then what am I so afraid of? What are we so afraid of?

I think I'll call my insurance agent. After all, Supplemental Health Insurance Policies are, by law, supposed to provide comparable benefits, aren't they? And we all could use a little extra money, right? And the AARP supports President Obama's health reform efforts.

The next meeting of the Santa Cruz County Seniors' Commission will take place Tuesday, Feb. 16 from 1:30-3:30pm. The

location and topics to be announced later.

Chuck Molnar may be contacted by calling the Santa Cruz County Seniors' Commission office at 454-2355.