Double Dip

The other evening, I heard one of the group charge pensioners with "double dipping". When asked what he meant, he said that he knew a couple who each had a medical/dental plan and whose child received orthodontic work "free" as a result. That  statement set me to ponder. What the offender did not realize, is that these plans are insurance and are not "free". You pay into them just as you do your pension plan. The employer pays, or used to, part of the fees, too. Insurance means that even if you don't use the service, you still have to pay the fees just in case at some stage you do need it. That is the nature of insurance. When retired, you usually do need to use your insurance because aging causes all sorts of health situations naturally, that need attention. Pensioners are not hogs at the trough, they actually do need the insurance they paid into over decades of working life. Pensioners are also often charged by younger people who are just not thinking straight, as being "free-loaders". These kinds  simply forget that when they were in school, using public services and parks not to mention medical services and others, that the taxes of working people made them available to everyone. None of those benefits or services came free. Because in latter times, salaries and costs were lower, we should not forget about
inflation and how what sounds expensive now, was relative to salaries then.  A chocolate bar in those days cost 5 or 10 cents and now, is 2 or  3 dollars. That might bring the matter into perspective. It is all relative. I set out for a root canal the other day and it amounted to what would be a good down payment for a car.  I was shocked at first, but when I did a little research, I found that taking into consideration the training required for the professional dentist to do the job, not counting the expenses such as staff, office facilities, equipment and insurance, the price was likely worth it. Saving my tooth was another perk I had to consider. Next time you see the term "seniors' rate" think on it kindly. You are sure to be one of them one day and with rampant inflation, unless you have recently sold some old real estate to burgeon your coffers, know that you'll sorely need it.