Free market? Ha!

Taymour Semnani's article (Nov. 15) captioned "Free markets don't always do the right thing regarding health care" is very misleading. Our present system certainly has its problems, but it has been anything but a free-market system since the 1940s.

The unfair notion that one kind of income should be tax-free while another kind of income should be subject to taxes took away the free-market aspect of the health-care industry long ago. It led to unions, individual employees and employers and insurance companies meddling with the system to get more of our "health care."

There should be reform legislation implemented for the people, but it should undo the past mistakes rather than add to our burdens. The public option that will inevitably lead to a complete single-payer system is not the answer. Get government, unions and employers out of the way and give us back our freedom.

John Nagel

Holladay