Give us health care cost comparisons

As Michael Leavitt ends four years as secretary of health, he offers two suggestions for improving health care. I wish he could stay on, as he will be missed.

Perhaps I can present some straightforward initiatives that Congress can't ignore and are imperative to be included in a bill that can and should pass. This will support the obvious idea that the system can be improved. As has been pointed out many times, the system is broken in a number of places.

These will certainly support the need for understandable, upfront pricing that can be used to cost compare, just as we do for many other products and services that we purchase. There never has been any free-market price comparing in health care, and because of this health care costs are increased by at least 10 percent or $285 billion a year. Incidentally, 67 percent of all Medicare dollars are spent by 23 percent of users.

The comments on smoking and the associated health problems, plus subsequent medical treatment costs are eye opening and pertinent as to their contribution to out-of-control health care costs. The only hope is to educate, re-educate and perhaps even assist every person who quits smoking with an opportunity to apply for government reimbursement for a percentage of their out-of-pocket health care costs directly related to medical problems resulting from smoking.

Leavitt offers a projection that within two decades the average American household's health care spending, including the portion of its taxes that pays for Medicare and Medicaid, will go from 23 percent to 41 percent of average household income. Who is working for whom?

Chuck Barr, Jr.

St. Charles