It’s a subsidy, not health insurance

The ongoing health insurance legislation debate is a good reminder about what happens when the federal government intrudes in business. In 2009, progressives knew they could not pass single-payer health care with the government taking control of about 20 percent of the U.S. economy. So they determined to use the insurance industry to achieve that end.

The intrusion caused distortion of the industry. The government promised insurance companies millions of healthy, profitable customers through the purchase mandate — distortion of the market many considered to be an unconstitutional act. In return, the insurance companies would use the profits from these new customers to pay for customers with pre-existing conditions and certain mandated coverage favored by progressives, whether or not consumers wanted it.

Insurance was created to prevent financial hardship when some catastrophic incident would occur and was purchased before an event occurred, not as a means to pay for such an incident after it happened. It was never intended as a governmental means of providing social services.

People in need of help to cover medical expenses for chronic conditions not of their own making should get the help they need. But let’s call it what it is — a health-care cost subsidy —and quit calling it insurance.

When these government-imposed mandates are removed and consumers can select only that coverage for which they want to pay and shop nationwide for coverage, health insurance premiums will come down for the vast majority of U.S. citizens. As has happened so often, the federal government created a mess then tells us only it can fix it, if only we allow it to take over even more of our lives.

Carl Wochele Westerville