The solution to healthcare reform



January 11, 2017

By Tom DeWeese As the Republicans in Congress struggle to present a workable replacement to Obamacare, the solution is staring them in the face. It's called free enterprise.The only reason we need massive insurance programs today is because of government meddling in healthcare. It started with Medicare in which government dictated percentages it would pay for services. Insurance companies followed suit. Therefore, forcing doctors and hospitals to raise prices to make more money from those established percentages. To prove that fact, simply go to a hospital as an uninsured patient and observe how much they deduct from your final bill. Insurance would have had to pay the higher price.Then, with the intrusion of government came the inevitable paperwork. Lots of it. Today, under the Affordable Care Act doctors and hospitals need full time staffs just to fill out the paperwork. That costs money. Eliminate it.Now there are rules and regulations on who must be treated and what procedures must be used. Of course, like all things government, these rules and regulations haven't been written by doctors, but by bureaucrats serving various special interests who stand to gain financially. Eliminate them.What's the solution? It's simple. Get government completely out of the healthcare industry where they don't belong. Don't try to write whole new policies. Let the insurance companies create policies to fit the market's needs. Let them advertise for customers. Let them fight it out among themselves in the market place and let the customers choose which company has the policy that fits their needs.Repeal Obamacare with no government replacement and watch how fast and creatively these insurance companies rush to the solution, just like every industry, including car insurance.Oh, but wait. You can't do that, say the liberals with great compassion. We have these poor who can't afford to pay for insurance. Well, there is a solution and it's full of compassion.In the America of the past we had a great legacy of charity. Americans are a generous people. We used to have community funds, service clubs and churches dedicated to helping the less fortunate. What happened to them? Nearly everyone has been replaced by a government program. Instead of people helping voluntarily according to their ability and interest, they have been ruthlessly and unrelentingly taxed to the point of suffocation. As a result, they have stopped giving to charities which subsequently have disappeared.Yet, there is still a fantastic example of human generosity, concern and caring that exists today, even in the socialist world of control. Organizations like St. Jude Children Center and the Shriners Hospital collect money from private donations and provide services free to families in need. Imagine how such programs would soar and fulfill the needs of every American if we were all simply allowed to make our own choices with our own money.Congress, just repeal Obamacare and let the free market work for everyone. Now, let's get on with draining the rest of the swamp!© Tom DeWeese