According to the Obama administration, “50 million Americans do not have health insurance.” That is 50 million out of a population of 300 million, or 16.6 percent of the population. For those Americans with no health insurance, that is a crisis — a personal crisis, not a national crisis.

Administration officials insist that the health care system is broken and only a major overhaul can fix it. Actually, the U.S. does not, nor has it ever, had a health care system. There is a free-market system in which consumers can purchase whatever medical care they choose. However, health insurance companies are not allowed to operate in the free-market venue. In most cases, people can purchase health insurance only from companies that are allowed to operate in that state. That eliminates competition, which limits choice and drives up insurance premiums. If such barriers were removed, individuals would reap the benefit of lower prices and a wider variety of insurance options.

Removing interstate barriers is only one of many “fixes” that could be applied to the health insurance “crisis.” Destroying the free market system, which created the best medical care in the world, is not the way to go. Providing insurance for 16.6 percent of our fellow citizens can be accomplished without the heavy hand of the federal government.

Maine’s congressional delegation must reassess the problem and come up with a solution that better reflects American values and traditions.

John Calloway, Avon