To the editor:

According to figures promulgated by the Obama administration, "fifty million Americans do not have health insurance." That is fifty million people out of a population of three hundred million, or 16.6% of the population. I have no doubt that to those Americans with no health insurance, this is a crisis, a personal crisis, not a national crisis.

A constant refrain of this administration is that "the health care system is broken and only a major overhaul can fix it." In point of fact, we do not, nor have we ever had, a health care "system." What we have is a free market system in which the consumers can purchase medical care wherever and whenever they choose.

Health insurance, on the other hand, has not been allowed to operate in the free market venue. In most cases, one can only purchase health insurance from companies which are allowed to operate in one's own state. This eliminates competition, which limits choice and supports high insurance premiums. If these state-to-state barriers were removed, the individual would not only reap the benefit of lower prices but would benefit from a wider variety of insurance options.

The removal of interstate barriers is only one of many "fixes" which could be applied to our "crisis." The destruction of our free market system, which has helped to create the best medical care in the world, is not the way to go.

Providing health care coverage for 16.6% of our fellow citizens can be accomplished without the imposition of the heavy hand of the federal government.

I urge our congressional delegation to step back, reassess the problem and come up with a solution that better reflects American values and traditions.
John T. Calloway
Avon