Why You Should Hate Insurance Companies: No, It's Not Profit.0

• December 8, 2009

Is the for-profit insurance industry a “predator” that “prevent[s] us from having a decent health care system”? Letter writer Bruce Robinson says so (Daily Camera, December 1). He’s partially right. The real predators are politicians who inhibit needed health policy reform. But insurers are guilty for concealing how they benefit from Congress’s predatory practices, which shield them from competition and accountability to patients.

Market Driven Health Care Saves Lives0

• November 9, 2009

Connor was so sick when my wife and I took him to the emergency room; lethargic and unresponsive. I remember someone saying it looked like [type 1] diabetes. We knew nothing about diabetes or the implications. We knew how bad it looked. As parents, we worried about worst-case scenarios.

Bizarro Health Care ‘Reform’: Expect Less, Pay More0

• November 5, 2009

Expect less, pay more. It’s not the slogan for some “Bizarro World” Target store in a comic book; it’s an accurate slogan for congressional Democrats’ health care “reform” proposals. They include a new government-run insurance plan, mandatory insurance, new political controls on insurance, and new taxes.

Canadian Company Begins Real U.S. Health Care Reform0

• October 26, 2009

If you need health care, Rick Baker may be able to save you a lot of money.

In 2003, Mr. Baker founded Timely Medical Alternatives. It helps Canadians arrange for medical care in the United States. Though Canadian health care is paid for by taxes, waits are long and the system isn’t concerned with minimizing pain and suffering.

Health Care Innovation0

• October 8, 2009

Dr. Keith Smith is a proud capitalist. The anesthesiologist often helps poor patients obtain surgeries at no cost while managing to keep his Oklahoma-based practice afloat.

Pay Your Own Doctors0

• October 6, 2009

What was the total cost of your last doctor’s visit? If you’re like most Americans, you have no idea, because somebody else is paying most of the bill.

Patients directly pay only about 14 percent of medical bills. The rest comes from insurance or government. This is the fundamental reason why health costs have skyrocketed. Patients have little incentive to monitor costs and look for good value, and sending routine expenses through third parties adds paperwork and administrative costs.