Jul 11, 2015 2 min read

I am writing concerning several articles written lately about health care, but I was really bothered by Paul Krugman’s June 28 column defending the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

I am a small-business owner, and I have always provided health care coverage for my employees, plus I’ve paid a portion of their dependent care. I believe there should be some form of universal care, but if Krugman thinks a consistent yearly increase of 20 percent in premium costs is modest, he must not be paying it himself. For me, this means coming up with an extra $20,000 this year alone. We currently have a non-ACA plan. If and when we are forced into the Obamacare, there will be increases of more than 100 percent to provide less coverage and with higher individual deductibles. This is progress?

If we provide everyone with the same health care, do we really need Medicare, Medicaid and other health care programs? Shouldn’t you receive the same level of care under one program, with much lower administrative costs? Privatize it totally, mandate it for all, get the typical governmental waste and management out of the picture, and you’ll probably be able to provide affordable health care.

Have you ever looked into how many of our politicians have bankrupted their own businesses? Do you think they can run anything of this magnitude? Just look at how they handle the budget process. I really wish the media would act responsibly and push for some real reform. At some point the money is going to run out.

Bruce Livingood

Prosperity