Follow these ideas for health care reform

Increase availability, protect quality and control costs of our national health care, but don’t destroy it.
Consider the following:
l Limit Medicare and Medicaid to major medical (catastrophic) care, universal coverage, with government support, and individual premiums indexed for lower income participants.
l Provide a savings plan of some $5,000 annually to lower income families for their use with minor and elective medical expenses. Any surplus at the end of the year will be given to the family.
l All payments, government and private, for medical services, facilities and material will be at the local free-market level.
l Immigration regulations will be adjusted to encourage the entry of physicians, nurses and medical
supporting personnel, to compensate for the increased demand anticipated.
l Allow insurance providers complete national freedom in a free-market operation.
l Where litigation charges are determined frivolous by a judiciary, all court and defense costs will be paid by the complainant.
l Establish a limited consortium of professionals, experienced with the disciplines involved and without any anticipated quid quo pro or re-election ambitions, to review the national health care, and document, with all the small print, definitions, objectives and implementation provisions for submission to Congress.

Walter F. Johnson
Albemarle County