On Health Care Reform

An Open Letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President:

I am surprised at your dogged persistance in pursuing a health insurance overhaul plan that it seems pretty clear nobody but you and Ms. Pelosi wants. Perhaps the problem is that we really do need health care reform - America just doesn't want your version.

We do not want "reform" that is going to cost the country a trillion dollars, or even a mere $800 billion. We can't afford it. Period. What we do need is competition in the health insurance industry. Allow companies to sell policies across state lines. Total cost to the taxpayer: zero. And as a form of vital public utility, health insurance companies should be subject to the same regulatory oversight as gas and electricity companies. Savings to the taxpayer: huge.

It is not the government's place to tell the citizens of this country that they must buy health insurance - or any other product for that matter. There is nothing in the Constitution mandating universal coverage for all citizens, let alone foreign tourists. With all due respect Sir, what you need to do now is to stop obsessing over health care and get on with the serious business of the economic health of the nation, which is close to needing a med-evac to the nearest intensive care unit.