The Seattle Times is the lastest media outlet to publish the guest editorial on health care reform written by AWB board members Don Conant and Judy Coovert.
In the piece, also published last week by The Olympian, Conant, general manager of Olympia-based Valley Nut and Bolt, and Coovert, co-owner of PrintCom, Inc., a printing company in Burien, express their skepticism about a potential overhaul of the nation's health care system by pointing to examples of state reforms that have not gone well.
States that tried to centralize control of health-care costs through price controls, penalties for employer nonparticipation, mandates and business sin taxes saw devastating results, they write.
On the other hand, states such as Florida, Georgia and Indiana that enacted reforms that promote market competition saw increased competition, price stabilization and epanded access to coverage.
"The idea that the federal government can save small businesses from the burden of health care by providing a government-run system is completely without merit," Conant and Coovert write. "These examples indicate that government does not do health care well. With this in mind, it would be a mistake to give government even greater control over health care."
Conant also spoke about health care reform last week on the KUOW radio program "Weekday."
You can download the program here.
