The wrong people are already controlling health care system

To the Editor:

Hello, my name is Trista and I am a registered voter. I am currently a student in the Human Services program at Allegany College of Maryland.

As you know, health care reform is a hot topic and a much heated debate, and with good reason. Our health care in this country seems to be governed by a business model, meaning it has all boiled down to profit.

When we hear government run health care, for many of us fear sets in and to be honest I was one of them. Therefore, I took it upon myself to educate myself on HR676.

Based on the data that is made available, I can see the possible solutions with the HR676. In addition, with all the health care pitches that are thrown at us, I would support HR676 for one reason and that is, facts are facts, and the facts on this matter scream solution.

One thing I would like to share to support my decision is this, we say that we do not want our government to control our health care, but the reality of it all is that private insurance and drug companies, who are obviously about the bottom line, money, are already controlling us.

The insurance companies control what physician we see and what treatment do and do not receive. That equates to no protection on pre-existing conditions, as well as no cap on out-of-pocket expenditures, and that is just for starters.

One reason is that there is no competition, therefore they can. Drug companies name their price with no negotiation, period. Now that is control!

Personally, I do not want to be without health care, but I cannot afford it. I have incurred medical bills that have affected my credit. Moreover, we all know the importance of “good credit,” especially in today’s economy. Unfortunately, so do many others, as health care expenses caused 60 percent of recent bankruptcies.

Lastly, I do not believe that any one policy is perfect, and fallacy in some degree is inevitable.

However, I want to encourage everyone to be an active participant in health care reform, and educate yourself on what is really going on. It will affect all of us, whether we want it to or not.

Trista Bowersox

Cumberland