OPINION:
President Trump is right to emphasize the importance of protecting patients with pre-existing conditions in any health care reform effort (“Trump on campaign trail emphasizes protections for pre-existing conditions,” Web, Oct.3). Millions of Americans have pre-existing conditions.
Such conditions can be expensive to treat — for patients and insurers alike. So it’s important to keep a sufficient number of young, healthy people paying premiums into the insurance risk pool to help offset the cost of coverage for those who are ill.
Unfortunately, average individual-market premiums have roughly doubled over the past five years. That’s driven many young people out of the insurance market. To get them back, we must make insurance more affordable. That starts by reducing the underlying cost of care.
Our nation spends about $340 billion a year on low-value care, such as unnecessary diagnostic testing and the use of branded drugs where generics are available. Lowering that tab would lead to lower premiums —for those with and without pre-existing conditions.
JANET TRAUTWEIN
CEO, National Association of Health Underwriters
Washington
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