Randy Hart's letter implies everything is great in our health insurance markets right now and that the federal health reform will wreck everything ("Insurance exchanges won't reduce health care costs," Feb. 21). I think Maryland's small businesses and families that are struggling to afford health care would disagree. To paraphrase the late Sen. Patrick Moynihan, Mr. Hart is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.
Mr. Hart asserts that nine in 10 Marylanders have coverage through their employer. While we wish this were the case, the real number is just 68 percent.
Moreover, I have no idea why he thinks no one will enjoy the same health plans they have today when 63 percent of Maryland employees work for employers that "self-insure" and thus won't be affected by Maryland's health insurance regulations.
These companies offer good benefits to attract the best talent and will continue to do so in order to compete for the best workers even after the law is fully implemented.
According to Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, which represents large employers on health care issues, most large employers favored the federal health reform law that was passed!
Mr. Hart also claims that government programs can't bend the cost curve and that the only thing that will reduce health care costs is for people to use fewer services. It is true that health care costs have been going up, but the costs in government programs have been going up more slowly than private plans that offer comparable benefits.
Research has found that it is not increased use of services that is the primary driver of costs in the U.S. but the prices we are paying for them, which are largely due to high administrative costs.
It is well documented that when faced with high deductibles, people reduce both needed care as well as unnecessary care because when you are sick and not a doctor, it's hard to know which is which. Is that the kind of health care system we want?
Mary Jo Braid-Forbes, Silver Spring
The writer is policy advisor to Maryland Citizens Health Initiative.