The Freedom Library, Inc.
2435 S. 8th Avenue  Yuma, AZ 85364  Phone: (928) 726-8050  Fax: (928) 726-1105
E-mail: info@freedomlibrary.org  Website: www.freedomlibrary.org
A Liberty Moment
“Safe and Affordable Health Care”
In June 2000, World Wrestling Entertainment star, Val Venis, traveled to the United States to get
hip surgery. A Canadian citizen by birth, the buff, 250-pound wrestler was entitled to “free”
health care in his home country. However, like thousands of other Canadians every year, Venis
crossed the border to get prompt, high-quality health care he could only find in the United States.
He stated that in Canada he would have had to wait months or even years for the non-critical
surgery that would allow him to walk again without pain. Many Canadian hospitals do not have
the state-of-the-art equipment their U.S. counterparts do. So, Venis chose to pay for his surgery
rather than settle for the slow, questionable care in Canada.
Unfortunately, our federal representatives and senators do not seem to have the same grasp of
medicine and economics that professional wrestler Val Venis and others do. Through regulations
and mandates, our elected officials are trying to mimic Canada’s failed system. In doing so, they
are damaging the best health care system in the world. As recently as the 1960’s low-cost health
insurance was available to virtually everyone in America, including people with existing medical
problems, doctors made house calls, and a hospital stay cost only a few days’ pay. Charity
hospitals were even available for those who could not afford to pay for health care.
Then the federal government moved in with Medicare, Medicaid, the HMO Act, and tens of
thousands of regulations on doctors, hospitals, and health insurance companies. Medicare
regulations alone run more than 100,000 pages. Today, the government spends more than 50% of
all healthcare dollars. Health insurance costs are skyrocketing and government health programs
are heading for bankruptcy. Rather than roll back government obstacles to affordable health care,
our busy bodies in Washington continue to pile on more regulations.
By establishing unlimited medical savings accounts an individual could accumulate tax-free
money in the same way an individual saves money in an IRA. Whenever the individual needed
money to pay medical bills, he could withdraw his funds. Those that did not have a tax free
medical savings accounts could have a 100% tax deduction for all medical expenses. However,
eliminating the income tax all together would save the individual an enormous amount of money
in order to provide for himself and his family money to cover medical expenses that might arise.
Repealing all health care regulations, which increase costs and decrease the availability of medical
services would go a long way to making health care and health insurance more affordable.
Finally, all government barriers to safe affordable medicines must be removed if we are ever to
help individuals live long and prosperous lives. The FDA has driven up health costs and deprived
millions of Americans of desperately needed treatments. According to the FDA itself, getting a
new drug approved costs pharmaceutical companies an average of $300 million and can take up to
ten years to get approved. This not only boosts the cost of life-saving medications, but it also
keeps them off the market.
In 1968 the FDA, after almost a decade, finally approved the medication Propanalol used for
angina and hypertension. A study done by Arthur D. Little, Inc. Estimated that roughly 10,000
Americans needlessly died each year because doctors were prevented from prescribing the drug.
Removing government regulations on the health care industry, removing government barriers to
safe, affordable medicines, and eliminating the income tax would do wonders for the health of our
citizenry.
The Freedom Library now offers its scholarship class in two locations. Beginning August 26
any individual can attend the class held at The Freedom Library in Yuma or the one out in the
East Valley in Wellton. In addition, The Freedom Library is offering three $1,000 scholarships.
For information on how to obtain one of these scholarships go to The Freedom Library website,
www.freedomlibrary.org or call 726-8050.
Be sure to listen to KJOK Radio AM 1400 every Monday morning at 7:50 for “On The Edge
With Howie Blitz” and “A Liberty Moment”.
Howard J. Blitz
President
The Freedom Library, Inc.
August 4, 2003