"Keep government hands off my Medicare" is the addled cry of folks who love that efficiently run, single-payer government program. Its recipients are much more satisfied with it than are people with private insurance, according to Paul Krugman. It's socialistic, but there's not a single vote in Congress for doing away with it.

Another single-payer government health program with high efficiency and high approval from its recipients is our military health care system. Our service people enjoy the very best available health care, as well they should! So the oft-heard claim that government can't run anything well is simply hogwash.

Social Security and the IRS also run smoothly.

Our friendly congresspeople themselves have government-run health insurance that accepts pre-existing conditions and can't be canceled by the insurer. The government pays 72 percent of the premiums. Isn't that a sweet deal? But they don't want that for you! That would be "socialism." (Like Medicare and military care.)

Guess what? Your health care is rationed now, either by your ability to pay, or your HMO's willingness to pay. They deny as many claims as possible and try to avoid covering people likely to need care. And your present program, whatever it is, is run by bureaucrats, whether you like it or not.

Forget the horror stories from Canada! We've got millions more of those than they do (Google "complaints of poor medical care.") Most Canadians like their system.

Most of us saw our premiums double in the past 10 years and know that unless fixed, they'll double again in the next 10 years.

Live with it! Or demand real reform that changes it.

John Goodwin, Lebanon