I was a registered nurse at nineteen. I went from that to healthcare administration then started my own military contracting firm which contracted for medical services all over the world.

I've been a consultant to long term care facilities and have experienced healthcare from lots of viewpoints. The more I have learned about the system, the more appalled I have become. The way our country treats the working eldery is shameful.

It varies from state to state, but in my state, a person who never worked a day in their life, never owned a home, and collected welfare from birth can get into the best of long term care facilities and all of their expenses including medications and various therapies paid for from Medicare. They get the most expensive of drugs and the very best of facilities if they just work the system (and many are experts at working the system because they've done it for years).

Others who have worked hard all of their lives, bought homes, paid taxes, and paid into social security expecting to be cared for when they are older are shocked to discover that none of the cost of residing in a long term care facility including medications is covered. The cost of just being in a long term care facility is thousands of dollars per month and many hard working people wind up selling their homes, their cars and everything they own to support their care. Eventually even their self respect is lost when their own funds are exahusted and they too must go on Welfare.

I know there are times when Welfare is the only option and I respect that. However, a system that punishes those who work and rewards those who don't is just plain wrong.

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