Three big problems with health bills

Both the House and Senate health care bills are bad for America. There are three major problems with these bills:

1. They do not accomplish the goal of reducing the cost of health care to make insurance more affordable. There are many strategies to do this, such as: tort reform; making insurance available across state lines; and making prices of doctors' and hospitals' services available so consumers can comparison shop, which would lead to more competitive pricing.

2. These plans involve the federal government in the doctor/patient relationship. The federal government will determine what will and will not be covered by insurance, which will lead to rationing. The mechanism for determining what services doctors can provide was part of the stimulus bill and is already law. These bills also create many additional new government agencies, which will lead to all kinds of rules and regulations.

3. This bill has been estimated to add $1 trillion to $3 trillion to the deficit in 10 years. Past experience has shown that these programs cost many times what was anticipated. Our debt is already at a very dangerous level, and our dollar is in trouble. We need to focus on lowering the deficit, not creating more spending that will raise it.

Insurance can be made more affordable without dismantling everything that works in our current system. People who still cannot afford insurance can be insured for a fraction of what this bill will cost.

Tony and Carolyn Tsikouris

Naperville