One thing most Americans agree on is that our health care system needs an overhaul.Some people believe the answer is more money from
Washington and bureaucratic agencies making sure everyone is following the rules.Others suggest we should import the kind of government-run models they have in Europe and Canada.A third option would redirect our current system—putting patients and doctors in the driver’s seat, making health care providers and insurance companies compete for customers.As you weigh the options, here are a few basic facts you need to know:Long before Obamacare came along in 2009, Washington was already in the business of picking winners and losers in health care.Shortly after World War II, we began giving tax breaks to those who got health care via their employer. In the long run, however, the biggest winner was the insurance industry as more and more people became members of group plans as opposed to purchasing individual insurance.More Washington meddling occurred in the 1960s with the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. While created with good intentions, these government programs have skyrocketed in terms of costs but have nose-dived when it comes to consumer choice.Instead of allowing individuals to decide where and from whom they want to get their medical care, Washington makes that call, selecting various special interests to qualify for those tax dollars.And then came the mother of all meddling: Obamacare, with a huge push to not only expand Medicaid, but to take over what was left of the private insurance market through more government mandates and regulations.The result?