Health Care Fairy Tale

One solution to the health care "crisis" would be to make the market more friendly to private insurers. This option, however, would serve to prevent gov't encroachment upon a heretofore largely government free industry. Because private sector reforms would limit the gov.t's control over the industry, it has little appeal to Congress. Nothing the gov't does is free. Like a character from an old fairy tale, someone in distress is offered a benefit with an obligation attached. At first the obligation seems removed and even acceptible given the need. When the need passes, the burdensome nature of the obligation is finally realized-to the great regret of the person who accepted the offer. Like the victim in the fairy tale, in our distress we are tempted by an offer that seems to good to be true; free health care. And, in our distress, we are tempted to accept it without considering the true cost. Unlike a fairy tale however, there would seem to be little hope for a happy ending.