Let's just get rid of health insurance

     Obamacare is under seige.  A court in Virginia ruled a few weeks ago that the newly passed health care bill cannot be implemented because it forces us to purchase something.  Even if it is necessary for everyone to have health insurance coverage, the federal government exceeds its authority by requiring us to purchase it.  Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are working at repealing Obamacare.  Attorneys general in most states have joined a lawsuit to have it overturned.
     The United States Supreme Court may rule that it is unconstitutional to require citizens to purchase health insurance.  The problem is that no one has a better idea.  We almost all agree that the present system needs revision.  As a society, we have taken on the responsibility to provide for those who are unable to provide for themselves.  We believe that everyone should have adequate medical care, regardless of ability to pay.
     The question becomes how to best do this.  We are terrified of having a system like we see in Canada or Britain, where everyone receives health care at government expense.  We believe such a system would bankrupt our government and stretch health care resources to the point that no one would receive adequate care.  A free market approach also has its disadvantages.  The best example is pre-existing conditions.  If a person with diabetes starts a new job, the new health insurance plan at the new job may not pay for insulin treatments because the condition of diabetes existed before the worker bought the health insurance policy.  This makes the insurance company more profitable, but does not help the diabetic to get the treatment he or she needs.
     We might save significant amounts of money if we do away with health insurance altogether, and pay for medical care through local taxes.  The money we would save by not purchasing health insurance would enable us to pay these taxes.  Insurance companies probably would not mind this.  Some of them have decided to stop selling health insurance policies.  Under such a plan, doctors and nurses would be county or city employees like police officers and firefighters.  Doctors and nurses would not have to face pay cuts.  Much of the money we spend for health care goes to administrative costs.  We spend billions of dollars to have health insurance claims processed and reviewed.  Dr. Thomas Willett of Green Lake, Wisconsin believes that he can reduce the cost of providing treatment significantly by not dealing with insurance companies.
     Making the provision of medical care a local public service would keep the federal government out of the health care business.  Even when it has the best of intentions, the federal government cannot devise a system for providing medical care for everyone without running into legal obstacles.  Even if the federal government were to come up with a system to provide universal health care, it would probably be even more inefficient than the system provided by the insurance companies.  Paying for medical care with local taxes may not be an ideal solution, but it would give citizens more of a say in how their money is spent than the current system.  It would also lessen the amount of control the federal government has over our personal lives.