Editorials / Opinion

Government is not capable of running our nation’s health-care system

The system giving access to the insurance products is flawed so severely that those who need it have to pick up the phone and call [“People stymied by error codes on state health exchange may get more time to enroll,” Online, Dec. 15].

Now the government is asking insurance companies to guarantee coverage to those who tried to sign up but were unable to complete it.

It is embarrassing that in this technically advanced world, with computers, software and Internet that this is happening.

This is unfair to the providers and those trying to purchase it. It is a perfect example of why the government is not capable of running our nation’s health-care system. It is welcome to regulate it, but they obviously should not be this much involved.

The only way to get real cost-effective health care that can respond quickly to the needs of patients, is for the free market to be allowed to run it. Look at industries that are successful with Internet sites and millions of commercial transactions per day, like Amazon.com and PayPal.

The common denominators are free market and competition. This fuels innovation to provide better quality and lower prices.

If purchasing health insurance were as easy as purchasing car insurance, then we would all be set.

— Karolyn Stasny, Seattle