Uninsurance

Uninsurance

To the Editor:

I read with interest the article "Uninsurance" by Dr. Pulito in the
3/02 issue of the Journal of the Kentucky Medical Association. Allow
me to paraphrase:

Myth: Medical care is a highly important matter for government to get involved in, as it bears significantly on the health of the population.

Reality: Medical care is irrelevant to the general health status of the population. The bulk of the good health we enjoy as a nation is attributable to our industrialized society, with its concomitant abundance of food, shelter, clothing, and hope for tomorrow for the majority of its citizens. The viability of our industrialized society, in turn, is attributable to our ideals of freedom, which, in turn, are attributable to the "Judeo-Christian" values held so dear by the Founders of this nation.

Myth: The reason we have a problem with health care is because many people lack insurance.

Reality: The reason we have a problem with health care is because governmental regulations drive the cost up to the point that the average person cannot pay medical costs out-of-pocket easily. These regulations include (but probably are not limited to): the medical practice acts, the FDA and DEA, JCAHO, Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance regulations. How do these regulations increase the cost of health care? By driving up the cost of production, and limiting supply and competition. Plus, once someone is providing health care or producing a health care product in compliance with these regulations, he is liable to contribute financially to those politicians who will keep the regulations in place, thus perpetuating the problem.

Many people (especially Democrats) will protest that we need these regulations to protect the people from substandard health care. But the burden of proof is on the one proposing a limitation of political and economic freedom, not on the one who wishes to exercise that freedom. The reality is that, should we liberalize health care in this country, very likely a number of private organizations would undertake to review and certify physicians, pharmacists, medicines, hospitals, etc, such that the patient could easily identify qualified physicians and obtain quality medicines. And the cost would likely be a small fraction of what it is today, obviating the need for health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Klein, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
Louisa, KY