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The discussion over universal healthcare came closer to home
this past week with one new view on the matter.

The president and chief executive officer of Endo
Pharmaceuticals gave his opinion to members of the Chadds Ford Business
Association during a breakfast meeting at Turner’s Mills last week.

While U.S. President Barack Obama and other Democrats still
want a public option—a single-payer system with the federal government (read
that “the taxpayer”) picking up the bill—David Holveck of Endo has a slightly
different view.

As reported in this issue of ChaddsFordLive.com, Mr. Holveck
also wants to see everyone be covered by health insurance, but he wants that
coverage to be mandated by the individual states.

During the national debate, some people have suggested it
would be unconstitutional for the federal government to force people to buy
health insurance, but Mr. Holveck’s idea could get around that because, he
argues, states already require people to buy automobile insurance.

This view holds less water than one might initially think.
Mandatory auto insurance is for liability. It protects those who may be hurt by
a policyholder held liable for an accident. Without a driver carrying liability
insurance, the victim would be forced to restore himself to wholeness through
his own means unless the person who caused the accident had the wherewithal to
cover the costs involved, be they medical costs or those involving property
repair. It should also be noted that liability insurance is only required when
registering a vehicle or for driving on public roads.

This is not the situation under discussion regarding
national healthcare. Universal healthcare, flying under the flag of altruism,
is forcing people to buy something they may not want through the private sector
or by paying more in taxes for a government system.

Mr. Holveck also said that our current system is an
employment-based insurance system, meaning people are insured through work.
This is a system he wants to maintain, saying that a government program would
be “too big.”

But what happens with those small businesses that can’t
afford to offer health insurance? Would that not open up the door to a public
option?

The issue of universal healthcare has been a daily news item
for the past year and will likely continue until a bill is passed or is
overwhelmingly defeated. The former is the most likely case since Republicans
will ultimately find a way to side with Democrats while saying they’re not.
Officials from both parties hold the authority of government as a higher
priority than individual liberty.

The actual bottom line in all of this is the cost of
healthcare. Mr. Holveck said one method to bring down costs is through tort
reform. We think this is one area that should be looked at seriously and
objectively. While physicians must be held liable for their mistakes, it’s
reasonable to assume there should be a cap on payments for pain and suffering.

There are myriad other aspects of the healthcare industry
that should be examined and eliminated to cut cost while maintaining a high
level of care. But that is not the way of politicians. Growing a more intrusive
government is.