Rhonda Hackett writes in the Denver Post that as a Canadian living in the United States, many ask her “to declare one health care system as the better one.” But the very question assumes politicians should create a “system” to run health care. By contrast, there’s no “system” for shoes or grocery stores; there’s a relatively free market.
The United States is founded upon principles of individual rights, voluntary association, and respect for a diversity of life styles. A political health care “system” violates these principles, as it imposes a one-size-fits-all solution that everyone must pay into and join.
If politicians want to offer an alternative to commercial insurance products, they should not force taxpayers to fund their “great idea.” They should instead start their own business – and play by the same rules they impose on commercial insurers. Then they’d realize how myriad political controls, such as the employer-based “system” created by U.S. tax policy, stifle competition, inflate costs, and often leave patients in the lurch.
