My name is George Grace, I am 66 years old, and I live in Buffalo. When my family lived in Nashville in 2001, we were 'covered' by what I consider to be a criminal company (Trustmark) which had more exclusions than benefits for our-then $7800 /year insurance. We couldn't get coverage for an 'out-of-bounds' trip to the emergency room 500 miles outside the coverage zone.

Now that we have gone onto Medicare, and being $46 over the poverty line, my wife and I were liable for thousands in deductibles and denials. We had to go to Social Services to prove we've spent enough to take us down below the poverty line. And, in the transition, too, we now get buried in paperwork even from companies we've never heard of, involved in our care in ways we aren't aware of. All those useless middlemen cost us money.

We need to get rid of the middlemen and get single payer. NY needs to lead the nation in providing no-BS, single-payer healthcare, and negotiate lower pharma costs, too. This would also help immunize us from the carnival stuff going on in DC.