Letter: Remove profit from health care

Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2000 | 9:42 a.m.

But I am going to defend them by saying it is wrong to expect them to provide health care to all who need it at an affordable rate and by dangerously cutting corners.

As for-profit private entities, their only reason for existence is to make a maximized profit, and if they can't do this and maintain decent affordable and necessary care, don't blame them.

But just accept the fact that health care cannot be provided by treating it as a commodity.

Once we accept that premise it is easy to replace the profit motive in health care with something that works!

My suggestion is a sort of "public utility" nonprofit system, whereby providing health care and not making a profit is the reason for its existence.

My reasoning is that the money that supplies the profit margin would go a long way toward reducing costs without reducing or denying care!

This system could be public, private or a combination of the two and would not restrict doctors' fees any more than most HMOs do now.

It wouldn't be perfect, but does anybody believer the for-profit system is anywhere near perfect?

DANIEL F. OLIVIER