Don't let Europe's health failure drag U.S. down

In practice, mandates have proven spectacularly unsuccessful at controlling costs. France has compulsory insurance, yet it has the world's third most expensive healthcare system and regularly runs a deficit. This despite the fact that French citizens effectively pay 18.8 percent of their incomes toward keeping this system afloat.

For that sort of money, one would expect French citizens to have a lot of autonomy when choosing their health care provider. They have in the past, but as costs are soaring, the government in January told patients exactly which physicians they're allowed to see -- or not. Noncompliance carries a steep financial penalty.

Switzerland installed an individual mandate 15 years ago. Since then, insurance premiums and overall health care spending have continued to balloon, resulting in a health care system even more expensive than France's.

Faced with mounting public expenses, Swiss officials have closed hospital facilities, reduced medical reimbursement rates, and restricted access to surgeries.

In 2002, the Swiss government even halted the creation of private medical practices. The country now suffers from a severe shortage of working physicians.

In government-run systems, cutting costs often simply means cutting care... [snip]

If reform means following Europe down the road to higher costs and cuts in treatment, we have a moral and fiscal imperative to say "No."

We must instead build on the innovation and quality of American health care, putting doctors and patients in charge of medical decisions and offering people more choices of more affordable health care and insurance.

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