Private market will fix health care

Whether you are discussing a single payer system, or a state plan, every government solution calls for increased regulation and government control regarding how we finance our health care.

These plans begin with radical changes to our current financing system (insurance), and in many of the reforms, completely do away with our current insurance system.

This is alarming for two reasons. First, health care costs are not expensive because of insurance; rather, insurance is expensive because of rising health care costs, and by the increased demand created by unhealthy lifestyles. Attempts to fix the financing mechanism, rather than trying to fix the rise in health care costs, does not address the real problem.

Second, while most Americans do not want government-run health care, the reality is that this is the ultimate end to any government solution. The architects of these specific types of reforms do not necessarily aspire to create government-run health care; yet, it is the only realistic way any government solution can control rising health care costs.

Private market reform solutions focus on creating competition and transparency to reduce or eliminate fee increases.

We need to be sure that any reform chooses the path of a private market solution so that we can ensure our health care can be purchased in the free market both today and in the future.

James C. Bellinger

South Barrington