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No free market

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 25, 2009

It has become obvious to all that the "free market" is not free for people who need health care. It is free for insurance companies to gouge, control and manipulate the users so that the companies don't have to pay and are assured a profit. This system is not working for the American people. I could list problems such as:

•The number of people not covered by any medical insurance.

•The number of people who are covered but who find that when they try to use their insurance to cover difficult situations, they are not covered for them.

•The number of people trapped like slaves in a job only because they need the health benefits.

•The number of people trapped like slaves in a job only because they have a pre-existing condition, and the other employers won't take them because the employers' health coverage will not cover the pre-existing condition.

•The American companies that are not competitive in the world market because they have to provide health coverage for their employees. (For example Ford and GM; $5 billion a year in health expenses adds $1,800 to the cost of an automobile).

There are two solutions, and neither one involves the free market.

First, single-payer health care. For example, Medicare.

This works just fine as long as we get rid of the supplemental and drug coverage insurance and allow the Medicare system to negotiate with the drug companies for fair pricing. It is an in-place system and would simply have to have the kinks (supplemental and drug coverage) worked out.

Second, socialized medicine. For example, the Veterans Administration where the government owns the whole system - hospitals and all the equipment.

Thirty-six industrialized nations have either a single payer system or socialized medicine. I know that all systems work to a greater or lesser extent. They all seem to work better for more of their citizens than our system does.

The discussion should be over. No more excuses. Let's make a decision and get to work solving the problem.

CORNEILOUS KIERNAN

Largo

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