George,

I would like to talk about the topic of "choice" in health care. "Choice" is a word that is being pushed very much these days by the insurance industry, which does not want any competition from other "choices."

First, we do not choose to get sick. Nor do we have a choice in what illness we want. Most communities only have one or two hospitals and a limited number of doctors, so our choices there are limited. In addition, as a recipient of Medicare, I find that many doctors choose not to accept Medicare patients. So my choice is even more limited.

Finally, we do not decide what the treatment for our illness will be, nor do we have a choice of what it will cost. Others make that decision for us.

All in all, I don't see much in the way of choice in health care. Of course, we can choose whether to go to a doctor and receive treatment or not, but most of us do if we want to stay alive.

Barry Taylor (Electronic mail, August 1, 2009)