True Health Care "Reform" Requires Free Market Solutions

Health Care “Reform” continues high in the news this week with President Obama’s upcoming Health Care Summit.  What’s important to realize is true health care reform requires free market solutions.  More government controls, regulations, mandates, and subsidies will only create more inefficiencies, higher costs for health care, higher costs for health care insurance, lower incentives for medical innovations, lower quality, and eventually, rationing of health care services.  Individuals will also find their economic and personal freedom restricted further.

It’s true our health care system is broken and needs to be fixed.  But, government is the problem, not the solution.  Government tax policies as well as regulations and subsidies currently are blocking the health care market from functioning effectively.  Giving consumers greater choices through competition (among both medical providers and health care insurers) will spur innovation, encourage price reductions, and improve the quality of health care.

There are a lot of free market solutions available that will improve health care.  We certainly don’t want additional government controls, regulations, and bureaucracies (or worse yet, a complete government takeover of health care).  We certainly don’t  need additional taxes either.  True health care reform is possible.  But, it requires the free market, not more government interference and inefficiency.