Let Americans choose health plans, even poor ones

In Friday’s editorial “Romney Care, the sequel, falls short of the Mass. original,” you write disapprovingly that allowing Americans to buy health insurance across state lines encourages them to buy cheap policies that offer, in your opinion, inadequate coverage (Our view, Health reform debate).

Such paternalistic thinking has contributed immensely to the health care mess this country faces. Policymakers and pundits, believing they know what’s best for the American people, love to dictate which health care plans we’re permitted to buy. Otherwise, we may make the “wrong” decision. The result: a bureaucratic nightmare with massive costs and little consumer choice.

If an individual prefers to forgo high-quality insurance in favor of other goods, he or she has every right to do so, though the individual shouldn’t expect taxpayers’ help in a medical emergency. Opening health care up to market forces will drive down prices and allow for a wider range of choices — choices only individuals should make for themselves. Garrett Hunter

Raleigh, N.C.