Health insurance woes are solvable

Thanks for providing a good summary of the newest House and Senate versions of health care reform bills.

The provisions that concern me include:

– Cutting Medicare. Waste and fraud can be attacked without addressing it in a new bill. If it hasn't happened yet, who can say it will happen because of this bill?

– Forcing employers to provide insurance for employees interferes with competition and market forces.

– Limiting or eliminating the ability of insurers to charge more for those with pre-existing conditions. That interferes with their ability to cover their costs and will cause higher premiums for everyone.

– Levying taxes on insurance companies is an eventual tax on consumers.

I would like a plan that encourages a free market.

– Use health savings accounts (HSAs) to reintroduce the negotiation of fees between patient and provider. They provide incentives to consumers to find the better deal.

– Create federal legislation that allows insurance companies to compete across state lines.

– Give people tax credits to cover health insurance costs. Let people shop for plans that best serve them.

If Congress can't pass everything at once, pass it in smaller bites. Tackle portability or pre-existing conditions first.

There are good solutions that do not create new bureaucracies or government entanglement in citizens' lives.

SUSAN WILSON

Farmer City