Dr. Rachel Nardin
Boston Globe
Letter to the Editor
December 8, 2008
IN HER article “Lobbies backing health reforms,” Lisa Wangsness fails to explicitly note that the reason health insurance companies are participating in reform efforts this time around is that they can see the writing on the wall. Private insurers have been unable to control healthcare costs and, in fact, are a significant cause of wasted healthcare dollars because of their high administrative costs. They are increasingly unable to offer coverage that even middle-class Americans can afford, and the cost of their insurance products is hampering American businesses.
It’s remarkable that an insurance industry group’s website features an interview with a woman who says, “It’s time for the government to step in.” The American public increasingly realizes that we need real healthcare reform. We need national health insurance, which would cover everyone without deductibles or copays, be financed through payroll and income taxes, and give everyone free choice of doctor and hospital. The private insurance industry knows this would put them out of business, and they are determined to make sure it doesn’t happen.