Listen to patients

Dear Editor,

Last week’s letter to the editor, “Canadian relatives can vouch for their health care” by Ray Anderson leaves information out that all United States’ citizens need to understand. What I have seen being proposed is yet another government takeover of a private industry. The government already controls Medicare, Medicaid, social security and the S-chip. Yes, the U.S. needs health care reform but what is being presently proposed is not reform; it is yet another government take over.

What if the government would lower some of the mandates placed currently on private insurance companies. According to “The Council for Affordable Health Insurance” states that the number of health insurance mandates has swelled to over 1,800 nationwide. Health insurance mandates are laws requiring that a health insurance policy or health plan cover (or offer to cover) specific providers or procedures. While mandates make health insurance more comprehensive, they also make it more expensive because insurers are required to pay for care consumers previously funded out of their own pocket. In some markets, mandated benefits have increased the cost of individual health insurance by as much as 45%. When health insurance costs increase, more people drop or decline coverage.

There are NOT 47 million uninsured people in the U.S as Mr. Anderson reported. There are nearly 10 million, included in this 47 million, who are not legal U.S. Citizens. There are also roughly 9 million, of this 47 million, who can afford to buy health insurance but choose not to.

Why ruin private health insurance without trying to do reform within the industry itself? We don’t need another government take over. We need to have our legislatures listen to US; not their house or senate leader. Please contact them and tell them we don’t need another take over.

Tags: health care reform, opinion, letters