Letter: Health care system needs competition

Thursday, July 5, 2007 | 7:29 a.m.

We must block the buyout of Sierra Health Services, which includes our senior health plan services, by an out-of-state entity, UnitedHealth Group. It is almost a done deal. Monopoly is not what we need to improve our medical situation in Nevada. Competition is what we need.

Prevention is the key here. Let us not allow this merger/sale. We should consider bringing in competitors such as Kaiser Permanente, which has an excellent track record, and would be an example of how an HMO should operate. It would set a higher standard for all the other insurance companies to follow.

I fear premiums will go up and service could get worse than it is. The insurance companies are not paying doctors what they deserve now. More good doctors will be leaving the state in search of better pay. Then seniors will be forced to sell their homes and find a more senior-friendly state to move to for their medical needs. This would be a no-win situation.

Yearly salaries of Sierra Health administrators are way too high. In fact, they are outrageous. We need more money going toward caring for the patients and paying our doctors. What are the executive officers doing for the patients?

We need to make Nevada a more senior-friendly, medically sound state for people to retire in. Good old-fashioned common sense says we need more competition, not less, to keep standards higher. We deserve it.

Sylvia Barcus, Las Vegas