The Free Press, Mankato, MN

News Ticker

Your View

October 21, 2009

Your View: Don't wreck world's best health care system

By Peter Etzell, North Mankato

Why on earth do the president and his Democratic Congress seem hell-bent on destroying the finest health-care system in the world — ours?

It could indeed use some limited improvements, but let’s begin by enacting limited proposals to solve the most obvious problems:

There are about 11 million uninsured poor, who need financial assistance to purchase health insurance. Let’s help them to do so through a subsidy program.

There about 10 million poor undocumented aliens in the same boat. Include them in that program. We are obliged to assist the poor among us regardless of their origin. However, we may also consider sealing the southern border to limit and contain that problem to its present numbers.

Reform tort law regarding healthcare lawsuits, (limiting non-monetary damages to $500,000) so that the defensive medicine now practiced will be curtailed and many billions of dollars saved.

Attack the “waste, fraud, and abuse” touted by the president and save the $400 billion he claims that will save over the next 10 years.

Require uniform health records throughout the healthcare system, which will lower premiums and save additional billions of dollars over the next 10 years.

Allow interstate marketing and purchasing of health insurance, which would increase competition among the 1,200 health insurance companies in the country, saving additional billions or dollars.

There is no need to destroy what we have to simply satisfy the errant dreams of those who want to put everything under the beneficent umbrella of the federal government. We can solve our obvious problems and satisfy our obligations to the poor without destroying the finest system in the world.



Text Only | Photo Reprints
Your View