Health insurance (and it's costs) is one of the biggest issues facing Pennsylvanians today.  There are many politicians touting nationalized (i.e. socialized) health care as the answer.  I couldn't disagree more.

 

  There are two primary options that I am in favor of.

 

  The first is to allow insurance companies to offer more options.  A menu if you will.  Think of this in terms of auto insurance.  When shopping for auto insurance, most people purchase the coverage that they NEED.  If auto insurance was like health insurance, it would cover filling up your tank, new tires every 4 years, regular oil changes, and any other maintenance or repair you can think of.  And would also likely cost 6 to 10 thousand dollars per year instead of 400 to 1500 dollars depeninding on your car and options.  Of course, we're talking about your personal health and not your car here, but hopefully that analogy made sense.  The state is forcing health insurance companies to cover many procedures and situations that the average person will never encounter in their lifetime.  Why should I or anyone else pay for services that will never be used?

 

  The second is the creation of health savings accounts or a health IRA if you will.  These would be tax free accounts that could be contributed to at any time, and drawn upon when necessary.  In effect, it's basically self insurance.  People now are already in the habit of putting money away for retirement, why not for their future health care as well? 

 

  Of course, these are some options that the governor in particular frowns upon because they focus on the individual.  The health care issue will only be taken care of by the state minimizing it's intrusion into the health care industry.