Government health care options would reduce choice

It's easy to become sidetracked on an issue as complex as health care. But I believe we should work from a place of strength, where we can build on several principles that are integral to any health care reform package.

First, we need to focus on lowering costs for every Iowan, no matter where they receive their coverage from. We need to make sure coverage is affordable, but also reliable and accessible. The more options our system provides, the better, as people can generally decide what is best for them. I believe we can focus on common principles, such as protecting choice in our health care. We cannot let a few core principles become squeezed by a system that can't support itself. A Medicare for All plan or even a public option/buy-in plan means that the government would have a massive extension into monopolizing health care. These proposals would undercut other insurance plans and options available to consumers, resulting in an unbalanced and disruptive system.

This system would bring higher taxes, reductions in access and in-network doctors, along with threats to our infrastructure, including hospitals. A new study reveals that hospitals in Iowa would face massive cuts as a result of a new public option, which in turn hurts providers and the businesses they support.

Instead of exhausting options for an unrealistic system, let's work on improving private and public partnerships to better our health care system for every Iowan.

Dan Walterman

Cedar Rapids