American Health Care in Critical Condition

The Case for Putting Individuals, Not Employers or Government, in
Control of Health Care

By JOHN STOSSEL and ANDREW SULLIVAN

"Most everyone agrees, America's health-care system is a mess.

Millions of Americans lack health insurance and still our annual
health-care costs exceed $2 trillion — that's about the size of the
entire economy of China. For the country with the world's "best"
medical care, a lot of people seem unhappy.

Many hate the insurance industry.

Employers have seen insurance premiums rise 87 percent over the last
seven years. General Motors now spends more on its employees' health
insurance than on steel. Doctors are fed up, too; the average
physician's office spends 14 percent of its income filling out
paperwork.

No one seems angrier than the patients who have been denied care....

The more people control the money they spend on their own health
care, the more people shop around and the more providers compete to
attract patients by lowering prices while improving quality.

It's putting individuals in control that could turn our health-care
sector into the vibrant, competitive marketplace that we see in
nearly every other area of our economy.

After all, it's our body and our health. Shouldn't we be in control
of how our health-care dollars are spent?

Harvard's Herzlinger said:

"Who should decide whether you live or die?
Do you want the government to decide?
Do you want a health insurer to decide?

Who's gonna make that decision?
Is it gonna be a government?
Is it gonna be an insurer?

Or is it gonna be you and me?"

Putting individuals in control of our health — rather than our
employers or the government — is a better way to cure what ails
America's health system. "

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=3580676