Mary Lou Seymour is a long-time libertarian activist and author. She lives in South Carolina. CLICK HERE FOR RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST CLICK HERE FOR THE LIBERTY ACTIVIST BLOG SUPPORT OUR
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of the Week Whenever a group of freedom lovers and liberty advocates start discussing living in a free society and how to get there from here, the discussion invariably turns towards the problem of health care. And, in the world outside the enclaves of freedom advocates, we are bombarded with speeches from both branches of the BOYN party on whether more taxpayer money should be used to support health care, whether we should have a "single payer" system, how to "save" Medicare, how to make sure the elderly get prescription drugs and premature babies get life support. Thirty or forty years ago, no one had "health insurance;" now, people hold grimly on to jobs they despise lest they lose their health insurance and are thrown on the mercy of the state. For libertarians, too proud and too moral to willingly take a governmentt check or government health care, the thought of being forced to accept state paid "charity" is especially abominable. But sometimes the choice really becomes "live free or die," and although that might be an acceptable choice for an individual to make for himself, what if it's your sick baby or elderly parent or beloved spouse, hmmm? discuss this
article at There are no easy answers; there is no easy way out. Unless a large number of Americans stop letting politicians set the agenda and manage to free themselves from the perceived need for government involvement in health care, we will never live in a free society. The chains of the perceived need for health care for ourselves and our loved ones are too strong to be broken easily. And anyone who thinks they are has never sat by the bedside of a sick child or dying parent. But take heart! There are a few actions we can take, as individuals, to free ourselves from these chains, and, encourage others to do so also. Taking back our freedom, one step at a time, by promoting various ways individuals can stop supporting government intrusion into medical care. A few weeks ago I was at a "Community Health Fair" and stopped by the table that was promoting organ donation. The nice lady from the kinder gentler side of the government was into her spiel about how everyone should sign up on their drivers license to "recycle themselves." I told her that I had always been a signed up organ donor, but last year I'd joined this new organization, LifeSharers. I explained to her that LifeSharers members promise to donate upon their death, but they give fellow members first access to their organs and tissue. Predictably, she reacted in stunned dismay. "But that's so selfish" she said. "You want to reserve your organs for only people in your 'network..' What if there was no one in your network who NEEDED your kidney?" I explained that if no one in my network needed my kidney, it would be "up for grabs" in the government sponsored donor program. She mulled that one over and then said What if there was a CHILD somewhere and your kidney went to an ADULT." I explained, nicely, that even if it were possible for a child to get my adult size kidney, it was MY kidney and I should get to decide who'd get it, and it seemed fairer in my opinion, for someone who had also promised to be an organ donor to have "first dibs." By promoting LifeSharers, it gives people an incentive to be an organ donor and would increase the number of organs available, and thus help everybody. To give her credit, she did think about this for a moment, before turning to the next potential donor at the table, and admitted that "I suppose it's OK." OK? I think it's great! Even if you are already a registered organ donor, you should join the LifeSharers network. By doing so, you will have access to organs and tissue that otherwise may not be available to you. (Membership in LifeSharers is free, and brochures are available for download to help publicize this important new venture.) As of May 31, 2003, about 1 year after it was founded, LifeSharers had 786 members. Joining LifeSharers is one free, simple action YOU can take, to promote individual responsibility AND increase the supply of organs. As I mentioned earlier, 30 years ago no one had health insurance ... and health care was pretty reasonable in those pre Medicare-Medicaid days. But no more ... A doctor visit that cost $10.00 thirty years ago costs $100.00 today. And incomes for the average Joe certainly haven't risen by a comparable amount in the past 30 years. SimpleCare is one example of a market-based solution to the rising cost of health care. Participating doctors, labs, etc. voluntarily lower their fees for SimpleCare patients who pay in full at the time of service. SimpleCare is NOT designed to be a "discount" program. It is a program that allows doctors to charge a fair and reasonable price for their service, and be reimbursed in full at the time of service, without incurring the high expense of billing and coding associated with most insurance and third party contracts. The first step, of course, is getting YOUR doctor signed up to participate in SimpleCare -- or to find a new doctor who will. Another possible action you can take is setting up a Medical Savings Account in conjunction with a catastrophic health insurance policy. An MSA is not one of those inflexible, use-it-or-lose-it accounts offered by some employers, where you have to predict your health care expenses for the year and run the risk of losing your money. A contribution to an MSA is tax deductible and withdrawals used for medical purposes are tax and penalty free. Any unused funds can roll over to the next year. For information on how to set up an MSA, see Americans for Free Choice in Medicine, for information on medical savings accounts (MSAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) see the National Center for Policy Analysis article. Another possibility for health insurance for those without benefits on their jobs (or who'd dearly love to tell the boss to "take this job and shove it" but don't dare because of the need for health insurance) are Association Health Plans. AHPs are "plans created for individuals and groups who belong to associations that are related to jobs, careers, or hobbies and interests. The potential for growth of this type of insurance is quite large -- given a favorable regulatory climate. By uniting many small groups with similar interests across the country, Westerfield says, AHPs could take full advantage of economies of scale to lower health care costs for their memberships." To reduce your dependence on doctors and hospitals, no home should be without a selection of books on emergency health care and first aid; my favorites are Where There Is No Doctor, Where There is No Dentist, and the invaluable The Complete Idiot's Guide to First Aid Basics. Ragnar Benson's Survivalist Medicine Chest brings you info on doctoring humans with readily obtainable, cheaply priced vet meds that are often identical to prescription drugs and cost only a fraction as much. (And yes, I've used them.) And finally, many health problems can possibly be prevented or controlled by natural and holistic approaches. Check out the Doctor Yourself website for information on how to take charge of your own routine health care, and lower your dependence on "allopathic" (drug- and surgery-oriented) medicine, get a copy of Back to Eden, the classic guide to herbal medicine, natural foods and home remedies, and Acupressure's Potent Points, to learn to perform acupressure on yourself. In our continuing activism to promote a culture where individual liberty is the norm, let's concentrate our efforts this week on individual responsibility for our own health care and freedom from government dictates, as well as the decreased costs that will come when the market rules medical care. Til next week, For Freedom Mary Lou PS: Check out the Liberty Activist Blog for Lux Lucre's contribution fora logo for our new "disorganization of activists", C.L.A.W. (Community Liberty Activist Whatever). Pretty cool huh? Feel free to download the logo and put it to "whatever" use you wish! PPS: Several new entries
in the Liberty Activist Resource Directory, to help you in your organizing and outreach
efforts, our new resource for LAotW donors of $15 or
more. And a big thank you for those of you who've
continued to make this column possible through your
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