Timothy J. Lardner

On Sept. 14, the Albuquerque Journal reported that 49 percent of New Mexicans oppose a government-run health care plan, also known as the “public option.”

Reforming health care should focus around a strong healthy economy, not government intrusion, penalties and higher taxes.

As a small business owner, I was encouraged when Congress took on the task of reforming our nation’s health care system. However, the discussion over health care has shifted. At first, we were talking about reforming a broken system. Now, we’re facing the prospect of increased government intervention into our personal medical decisions and higher taxes and fees on our families. That’s not something I can support.

Even though a Senate committee twice voted against including a public option in a reform bill on Tuesday, the House has approved a public option, and the president still prefers the inclusion of a public option in the reform bill. Public option is still on the table.

Neither party seems willing to address the contributing factors of the high cost of health care — a struggling economy, loss of manufacturing jobs and a lack of stability in our nation’s energy.

A key goal of our congressional delegation should be to create an environment in which free market values and competition thrive. By promoting such an environment — in which Americans pay lower taxes and have the ability to work in higher quality, better-paying jobs — increased access to quality health care in a competitive market can be achieved.

However, today’s health care discussion seems to revolve around the ideas of bigger government, restricted medical choices and penalties. The current health care package will not only harm the backbone of our state’s economy — with up to 8 percent in higher payroll taxes on small business — but it will also dramatically reduce access to health care in rural areas throughout the state, especially access to specialized care.

The health care legislation currently being debated by Congress is completely devoid of incentives for small business, the consumer or the caregiver — but full of dangerous penalties and higher taxes and fees for everyone. In a note addressed to Nevada Sen. John Ensign, Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold outlined severe penalties within the current legislation should individuals fail to enroll. According to Barthold, those of us who decline to participate in the government’s massive health care scheme could be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to a year in jail or a $25,000.00 fine.

Two of the more prominent problems within the health care system are the high cost of insurance coupled with a lack of tort reform. The cost of insurance could be dramatically reduced by allowing insurance to be sold across state lines.

Keep government out of the system

A recent national survey conducted by The American Society of Medical Doctors (ASMD) concluded that 70 percent of the nation’s specialized physicians oppose the current reform package and feel that it would significantly hinder their ability to offer the best care to their patients. According to their findings, “Sixty percent of specialty physicians would opt not to accept new patients who participate in the government plan.”

We can afford health care, if we keep government out of the system. Government involvement will generate mandates, misguided supply and demand and a stagnation of innovation. If we depend on the government for a solution, we must be willing to sacrifice our current quality of health care.

As the debate continues — and we get closer to what boils down to a “single payer,” European-style health care system — states like New Mexico will feel the brunt of the detrimental effects of increased government intrusion.

The long-term vision must be based on a more competitive global market in which the United States takes the lead. The White House and Congress must be committed to generating an economy that will allow individuals to afford what our health care system has to offer and not just creating another tax and spend policy that will surely have a detrimental effect on an already debt ridden government.

In the end, this issue goes far beyond party lines or ideology — it goes to the root of our New Mexican values and the well being of our state.

Lardner is president of New Mexico Travertine, Inc., and Santa Fe Marble, Inc. This column was written for Southwest Citizens Coalition’s campaign opposing the public option health care package.