To the writer of "Obama wants everyone to have a choice" on April 13: Choice and universal coverage are necessary, but they will not reduce the costs.
In 1990 I read an article in the Duluth News Tribune which said health-care costs increased 100 percent during the 1980s, which shocked me. So I introduced a bill in the Minnesota Legislature to study the causes and recommend solutions. The Minnesota House/Senate Healthcare Costs Commission met several times and held hearings. We found there are three basic reasons for such huge cost increases: administration, medical technology and lack of real policy.
Unfortunately, we did not pass the commission's findings because HMO reform was supposed to be the panacea. HMOs are not the solution because there's another layer of administrative costs with millionaire chief executive officers.
Most employers have different health-care policies so it's costly to administer. We found the private system costs about 30 percent and Medicare only about 3 percent to run. Also, medical technology needs to be regulated. I'm glad we have the technology but it costs millions, even billions, and patients pay huge premiums for excessive medical equipment. I call it the "Medical Industrial Complex," because it's similar to the "Military Industrial Complex" President Eisenhower warned us about half a century ago.
The U.S. has about 50 million uninsured people, which I consider immoral, especially because too many children are not getting preventative care. My three brothers and sister died because the Yugoslav Royal Government from 1918-41 did not provide medical care for everyone. However, my youngest brother, sister and I survived because we had education and medical care under the communist regime of President Josip Broz "Tito" from 1943-1980.
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Mike Jaros
DULUTH
