Medicare for life

I found the Faye Flam’s column, “Expand Medicare to reflect biological realities of aging,” (Dec. 10) to be very interesting. The part about the Greenland sharks that live to be 400 years old was educational. If we were able to enable humans to live that long by some genetic engineering, then maybe we should offer health care from birth to death for everyone. Currently, Health Care for All, Washington (HCFA WA) is trying to do just that.

The main objection I have heard is that it is “socialized medicine.” Why is that a bad thing? If everyone is covered for life for all essential care, then it seems like the most humane way to go. It doesn’t have to be government run, but it should be government regulated. People wanting elective surgery or other services not provided by typical Medicare, can still pay for it themselves or through private insurance.

Let’s start Medicare at birth, not 65, or even 50 years old.

Candy Frankel

Spokane