Private-sector health care reforms are better

There are many private-sector reforms Congress could implement to help lower costs and insure more Americans:

1) Tort reform, affecting malpractice insurance. Allow legitimate grievances to be remedied without frivolous lawsuits or plaintiffs awarded huge sums. Losers pay.

2) Allow insurance companies to cross state borders. The federal government could mandate a basic catastrophic policy uniform in all states and allow insurance companies to compete for our business the way car insurance does. People could pick and choose the add-ons they want.

3) Give incentives for wellness.

4) Get employers out of the health care business altogether. Risk pools would improve without the “group” basis. Allow a total tax deduction of their premiums.

5) Clean up illegal immigration. Our country cannot afford them.

6) Health Savings Accounts - saving money with a higher deductible plan. Low-income citizens could have money deposited to their HSA's by the government so they can own and control the health care money - more cost-effective for the taxpayer than for government to take over.

Scrap the government option, work at reforms in the private sector.

Cathy Grawe

Coralville