We need health care reform with a powerful public option now.

Today, for a family of four, health care costs $13,400 per year. The median gross income is $51,000. If you're lucky enough to have an employer pay, say, 65 percent (and a lot do not) it will leave the family with $4,600 per year, or 9.2 percent of their gross income. If you are self-employed or your employer doesn't help, it's 26 percent.

Health care premiums are rising at 6.5 percent per year. Median income is rising by 1 percent. In 20 years, you will be spending 27.1 percent of your income on health care premiums and that's assuming that your employer picks up 65 percent, which will be highly unlikely, and if he doesn't, you will be spending 90.2 percent of your income on health care.

Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent call, e-mail and write to your representative and senators and demand that they pass a health care reform bill with a powerful public option now.

W. R. Smith
Indio