Let the market fix health care system

I may not be the cheapest man in America, but I am certainly in the team picture.

Some people even say that George Washington wears sunglasses when he comes out of my wallet. That said, I spent $702 the other day without comparing prices, consulting Consumer Reports, or even cutting a coupon. You see the other day; I hit the end of my finger with a hammer. My wife insisted that I go to the emergency walk-in clinic. In the end, the required treatment was some ice, a bandage, a couple of aspirin, and one single stitch.

Yet, the bill was $702. But, what the heck do I care? I am one of the 60 percent of Americans who have health insurance. That $702 wasn't coming out of my wallet. The insurance company was paying.

And herein lies the problem with the American health care system. In general, the people making the health care decision (you and me) do not bear the financial burdens associated with our individual decisions. As a result, years and years of health care price inflation has gone unchecked by market forces.

Worse yet, health care inflation is a double-edged sword. Heath care inflation makes it more and more difficult for employers to provide insurance for their employees, and health care inflations makes it almost impossible to pay for even most basic medical procedure without insurance.

So I say to all those working on health care reform (Democrats or Republicans), give me and give everyone a financial incentive to be a better consumer. Allow the market forces to work. Once market forces are working, prices will come down, insurance will become more affordable, and the health care crisis will be more manageable.

Philip C. Filosa

Hoffman Estates