Letters to the editor for Friday, July 14, 2017

Two major points are key to health care reform

Republicans will get nowhere in their attempts to deal with Obamacare until they confront its two destructive premises: health care is a right, and the government knows best.

In addition, they must recognize that taxes are not the issue. It’s how the tax return is spent that matters.

Obamacare, with its subsidized access to basically unlimited treatment, is in a death spiral here and in other states. Much can be done for everyone by way of universal basic and profitable care for specific conditions. This protects individuals as it bolsters our economy. At the same time actuarially constrained guaranteed access to health insurance to cover more expensive treatment can be established with a variety of private insurers offering a variety of plans.

While they’re at it, the Republicans can also fix Medicare by putting a specific cap on individual lifetime maximum benefits, and closing down Obama’s capricious death panel established by the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Yes, my plan leaves some people without access to all that doctors can provide, but then again it acknowledges that no government can be all things to all people.

Michael Goldeen

Carson City