Advantages of government-run health option

Cynthia Shiroky, Las Vegas

Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

The health insurance companies want everyone to have insurance by buying “protection” from them. We pay escalating health insurance premiums for treatment in the event of illness or accident. The health insurance companies, in turn, work at paying as little as possible on our health care claims. How much of our insurance premiums go toward company profits, lobbyists, huge salaries for executives and advertisements?

The for-profit health insurance and pharmaceutical industries don’t want to compete with a government-run, nonprofit health care plan. These industries and their advocates actively try to intimidate the public into believing that the option plan would: ration care, cost more, come between patient and doctor, limit access and treatments, deny or delay care, and be socialistic. With the exception of being socialistic, these statements reflect the present health care system.

The government’s option plan would be: nonprofit, administered more efficiently, and less expensive. The plan would drop no one, include those with preexisting conditions, and emphasize preventive care. Our president has said repeatedly that if your present health insurance serves you well, you can keep it. No one will take it from you. However, Americans who want a choice should have that choice.

Some say, “Get government out of business, so business can do business.” We have seen where that practice has gotten us. There is an appropriate role for government in our lives: to ensure every citizen has regulated, affordable, high-quality health care. Not only do taxpayers deserve it, there is a mandate for it.