Rick Devore's letter to the editor
Rick Devore's letter to the editor, cataloging his experience with our healthcare system, endorses the idea that the shortcomings of our healthcare system are the fault of the free market and the solution lies in universal, government-run healthcare. If Mr. Devore condemns the US system, he needs to realize he is not condemning a free market system, but a partially government run chimera whose shortcomings stem from controls inserted by government. Mr. Devore's problems with health insurance could possibly been averted if, for example, health care savings accounts (HSAs) were available while he was employed and tax deductibility was allowed for individual purchases of health insurance--2 changes that would increase access to health insurance. The problems with our healthcare system are myriad, but the solution does not require more government intervention. Decreasing government interference, by allowing the free market to operate unhindered, will bring health insurance into the reach of many more people while preserving patient and physician autonomy.
