This is a response to Kevin Simpson’s letter (Aug. 13) which disagreed with my letter (Aug. 6).

Simpson did not criticize the parts of my letter that exposed the unethical power play of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or the Democrats disservice to their constituents by passing a large document bill that they had not read, or the disregard of the unsustainable cost of the program with the national debt already almost beyond control. Nor did he mention the idea of supplementing the cost of health insurance for those non-Medicare and non-Medicaid low-income families who wished to purchase health insurance.

What he focused on was the proposal for a free-market private insurance across state lines. Free market policies could be tailored to meet the specific needs of each family, e.g., elderly people need not pay for obstetrical care. Pre-existing conditions can be accommodated. I think insurance professionals could find ways to fashion policies that are affordable if they were out from under the mandates of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

If America goes to a single-payer socialized system, the expense of meeting the demands of all of the people in the United States will be overwhelming. Soon, rationing and long waiting periods would occur. England and Canada come to mind. Is that the answer people want?

People all over the world look to the health care in the United States as the best they can receive. They flock here. Will that quality care be destroyed?

Thomas Shields, Auburn