This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Many folks complain about the health care reform law and its mandate requiring individuals to carry health insurance. Don Johnstun's "Mandate un-American" (Forum, April 9) told us of his concerns with the government's plan to require us all to be insured.
What I couldn't find in his letter was a single suggestion as to a better alternative, or why he thinks it is OK for me to pay higher premiums to cover the uninsured when they show up at the emergency room in need of care, including basic care that would be more efficiently handled in a non-emergency room setting if they had insurance.
I don't like the government telling me what to do, either, but I don't have a better solution to our health care problem. After much negotiating and compromising, this seems to be the best our elected officials could come up with. Let's try it, modify the details as needed, and move forward.
Bill Bowen
Salt Lake City