Fix, don't overhaul health care system
President Obama just e-mailed me to ask my support for his health-care proposals He says he is flexile but any reform must "reduce costs, guarantee choice, and ensure quality care for every American."
There are only two ways to significantly reduce costs. One is to decrease prices charged by our health-care providers and the second is to reduce the amount of health-care people now get. We can improve the efficiency of some of the delivery systems etc. but that will be minor.
If we reduce the prices charged by health-care providers we will see either a reduction in quality of health services provided and/or a decrease in the number of providers. Neither of these results are very desirable. The only way to reduce the amount of health services people now get is through rationing of some kind. Not a very pleasant prospect.
Who can disagree with "guaranteed choice?" I have trouble seeing how that is possible if the other two conditions are met.
Ensuring quality care for every American can be substantially met with some fixes to the present system. I am afraid that what he means by that condition is Universal Care from a nationalized health-care system. "One size fits all." This would not only be very expensive, but completely at odds with reducing costs and guaranteed choice. It means the end to the free enterprise system of health care which has produced some of the most outstanding health care in the world.
Roland G. Ley
Arlington Heights