The bill puts many in a bind

I read your editorial about the health reform "gift" ("A Historic Vote," Dec. 22) and have to tell you that, for at least one sizable group of U.S. citizens, the current proposal is more of a nightmare. That group is people between the ages of 55 and 64. The Senate proposal allows insurers to charge three times as much for a policy for those in that age group as they would for those younger - regardless of whether the person has a pre-existing condition or not. To add to the pain, any adult with a pre-existing condition has to wait until 2014 for the provisions to kick in that forbid exclusion of coverage of that condition.

What this means is that many of us in this age group will have to decide between paying way too much for coverage that may not include the conditions for which we need insurance, or saving our dollars to pay for those conditions - and paying a fine for not buying insurance. The proposals to assist those who can't afford insurance may help some in that age group - especially those who were laid off - but not enough to make a difference. From my perspective, we are trading one group of uninsured for another. I'm not sure that this is much of a gift.

SHERYL STOLZENBERG
Lake Mary, Fla.
The writer is a native of Pittsburgh.