Health Care reform – The small stuff?

As most Americans watch politicians fiddle around with our health care options, emotions tend to kick in.  And that is to be expected given that most people don’t view their health care as political, but rather as a life and death issue (directly affecting their families).

Over the years, politicians have equated messing our health care system to throwing their political careers in front of a moving subway car.

Our president has pressed this issue knowing full well that he was putting his political future at stake.  If you care about opinion ratings, the ongoing health care debate has clearly not helped his political career.

Instead of a bull-in-the-china shop approach, what do you think about starting with the small changes first that will likely yield a huge benefit?

Most Americans are not aware that health care insurance companies are not allowed to sell their insurance products across state lines (thereby severely limiting competition).  For example, let’s compare insurance rates in the state of Idaho vs. the state of California.

In Idaho, you have very few health insurance companies to choose from, so it ends up being a pay the inflated price or go without health scenario for many citizens of Idaho.

In California, there are so many insurance companies that actively compete for the consumer’s business by running TV and print ads comparing / contracting the cost and value of their product vs. their competitors.

If our Government were to do nothing more than break down the existing state line barriers, all of our health insurance premiums would go down and it would not cost us any more in taxes.

There does not seem to be much to loose here, but rather quite a bit to be gained.

What do you think?   Please comment on this editorial below (click SHOUT).

– Chet Scott

The Chief Cheapskate