Dear Congress

Last night was really something, wasn't it? Some political races decided while others have gone into overtime.

Voters wanted to send a message to Washington and they did so in a resounding fashion. It seems every time the country moves too far in either direction, but especially to the left, there is a correction.

The voters sent a message to FDR in 1938 shortly after instituting Social Security. Roosevelt's autocratic way of dealing with things was viewed as too extreme.

Same thing 10 years later under Truman and more recently in 1994 as a reaction to Clinton.

While the economy and jobs are major concerns the debate over health care reform (Obamacare) just won't go away and very few are pleased with what has been foisted on us. What Washington gave us was 2200 pages of laws and tax increases that do little or nothing to reduce the cost of health insurance and nothing to impact the cost of health care.

There are two ways to reduce the cost of health care, and neither involve simply telling medical providers what you are willing to pay for their services.

Roughly 70% of chronic illness can be prevented or reversed by diet and exercise. We are an nation of unfit, lazy slobs who would rather take a pill for what ails us than actually put forth effort and get off our butts. Until that attitude changes we will continue marching toward obesity and all the ailments that accompany it such as hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes.

Most of those conditions are a result of lifestyle, not genetics or environment.

We can reduce total health care expenditures by eliminating incentives to abuse health care funding. Health insurance is the only form of insurance where no one knows, or cares, how much a procedure or medication costs. There is no reason for the insured to ask since health insurance pays over 85% of the cost of care.

We have automobile insurance to protect us against theft or major damages. Our car insurance does not pay for tires, brakes or oil changes and if it did, auto insurance premiums would break the bank.

But some feel they cannot afford to go to the doctor or fill a prescription without a copay. Until 20 years ago health insurance did not have copay's.

We have become conditioned into thinking health care is not attainable unless our exposure is limited to the price of a decent bottle of wine.

We can just as easily become conditioned to pay for our routine care out of pocket. I know this because over 90% of my clients pay for every day medical expenses out of pocket and use their insurance for the major items.

Reduce the Cost of Health Care

You make health CARE more affordable through lifestyle changes and encouraging personal responsibility for routine and minor health care.

So how do you reduce health insurance premiums?

Not by increasing taxes on health insurance plans or setting unreasonable expectations on things like how much a carrier must pay out in benefits. Health insurance is a fiercely competitive market and prices move without outside intervention to the lowest level.

Almost every free market industry has higher profit margins than health insurance. Attempts to regulate the market with micro-management only serves to drive away competition and raise premiums. Just look at states like Maine, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts to experience first hand the result of over-regulating a market. These states have some of the highest premium rates in the country and the fewest choices.

Government mandates, at both the state and federal level drive premiums up, not down. State mandates add 30% or more to health insurance premiums. Eliminating mandates, not increasing the number and scope of mandate will do more to make health insurance affordable than anything else.

If Congress truly has an interest in making health care, and health insurance more affordable they need to consider less regulation and manipulation, not more. They need to relax some rules, including those passed off as "consumer protection" that do nothing more than encourage over-utilization and raise premiums for everyone.

The election sent a message. We are not sure if anyone is really listening.

If not, we will be back . . .