I would like to suggest that our elected officials take another crack a fixing health care, and in doing so adhere to two basic foundational principles.

1. Equal access to the health care for everyone. Access needs to be on a level playing field, not one where some have access to better or more comprehensive services than others. Factors such as employment, preexisting conditions or income should have no bearing on one’s access to health. Can we go so far as to say that access to health care services is a right, not a privilege?

2. Everyone pays. It’s true that some can afford to pay more than others, but everyone can and should pay something.

I believe that these are simple basic principles that everyone can agree to. They should not conflict with anyone’s political ideology be it conservative or liberal. I’ve heard people say that the issue of health care reform is complicated. I wouldn’t argue with that. What I would suggest though is that sometimes, simplicity can serve as a good foundation for building the solution to a complex problem.

Dennis Dalheim

Wayne