By DANIEL GARDNER

A retired couple who are friends of mine told me, “Many people believe us old people get our healthcare free. Do they realize that we, and we are not alone, pay over 50 percent of our income for healthcare insurance, and that doesn’t include co-payments or cost to get to and from doctor’s offices or hospitals. The VA does help us (maybe) with co-payments and mileage but that isn’t true for most people on Medicare.”