July 17, 2012
Tuesday

I'm not an expert on the healthcare law. Who is? After reading Mr. Spence's letter, I did a tiny bit of research. When the House passed the legislation sent to them by the Senate, the vote was 219 for and 212 against. 34 Democrats voted with all the Republicans. That's a pretty darn close vote for legislation that affects so many Americans and is such a big percentage of our economy. A recent Rasmussen poll (July 13-14) indicates that 52% of Americans favor repeal of the law and 42% oppose repeal. Again, pretty close. This is a VERY controversial issue.

I have always thought that perhaps we should have tweaked the system before throwing out everything and putting a new plan in place. How about selling insurance across State lines (like car insurance)? That would encourage competition and might/probably result in lower premiums. How about tort reform? I'm sure those billion dollar settlements have an impact on our premiums. If you spill a hot cup of coffee in your lap, should you be compensated for every blessed thing? Loss of consortium? Mental anguish? The plaintiffs' attorneys will oppose this (tort reform) for obvious reasons. Some of the provisions of the law should be left in place, but it should have been done piecemeal rather than through a grand experiment. Again, tweaking. Health care is a complicated problem, and I don't believe "Obamacare" is going to solve it.

Chris Elliott
Ketchikan, AK

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