Letter to the Editor

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*Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of The Messenger

FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

This past week, I read an ad in our paper for Healthcare.  It was about a better healthcare plan and it was from our Minnesota Independent Candidate Roger Kittelson.  As a Nurse Practitioner, I agree rural Minnesota needs affordable healthcare that is much better.

Gone are the days of the country doctor, house calls and as I see it, patient focused care. Our health care system is ailing and too many are reluctant to find a cure, but would rather cover our failed system with a band aid. It seems our health care is about profit, not people.

As our country moved from the family doctor, who puts patients first, health insurance companies have moved doctors and healthcare delivery to a production model of healthcare.

I have been a RN for over 42 years in Minnesota and a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years. I see firsthand how our system does not work.  No one should have to cry to their provider that they don’t want an ambulance for their 5 year old to be transported to a hospital because she can’t breathe, because her “insurance doesn’t cover an ambulance ride”. . Nor should a patient come to a retail clinic for a serious leg infection and a fever of 103 degrees because they can’t afford an emergency room visit.

All of the “band aids” to supposedly improve our healthcare in this country and this state, including HMOs, PPOs, choice plans, select plans and Obama Care are all but a mirror, which projects an illusion of healthcare when in fact these are means by which to control our freedom of choice when it comes to our healthcare.

In rural Minnesota, the annual premiums and deductibles for a rural family can reach $25,000 to $45,000 per year.   This is unacceptable and unreasonable. Family farms and small businesses cannot afford these outrageous healthcare costs.  Nearly 72% of farmers or a family member must have a second job to pay for health care. (MNhealthplan.org)

So what can we do to cure this problem? I believe in the Health Care for All plan as a good beginning and perhaps the solution to this problem in Minnesota.  This is a single, statewide “trust fund” health care administered plan that would cover ALL Minnesotans for ALL their medical needs.

One of our candidates for Minnesota House of Representatives 20A, Roger Kittelson, has been an advocate for better health care. I have known Roger for over 30 years and I can tell you that he is passionate about this issue. He firmly believes in “Freedom of Choice” in selecting your healthcare doctors and is pushing forward a plan to help everyone, not just the top 5% or the lower 5%.

We all have a right to good health and good care that is affordable.  He believes in taking profits out of current health care insurance industry and putting choice and healthcare back in the hands of the consumers.  Visit Roger’s website “KittelsonHouse20A.com” for more information or give him a call. He listens. He is open to discussion; wants to hear your thoughts on this and you can trust that he will do the best to cure our ailing health care system in Minnesota.  On November 8, vote for a true Independent for House 20A, Roger Kittelson. 

Candace Kiebel

Goodhue, MN 55027