Text: Video Voter Guide

Hi.

I’m Mike Hihn -- your Libertarian candidate for state Insurance Commissioner. Whenever I say that, I’m asked two questions. How would I solve the health care crisis? I’ll get to that. And ….. where did all you Libertarians come from?

There are a lot of Libertarians on the ballot this year -- 67 in this state alone. Nationwide, there are over 300 Libertarians in public office – all at the local level.

For example, I am now an elected water commissioner in King County, and a former elected school board director. These local offices are all nonpartisan. That’s why you may not have heard of us. We haven’t been running ... as Libertarians … until now.

Now – like so many of you, we are concerned about the direction of our state, and the future of our communities. So this November, you’ll have a real choice for once.

For your Insurance Commission, I know health care is your top concern, so I’ll focus on that, in the brief time allotted. In this state, insurance regulation can be hazardous to your health – as we all saw when individual health coverage disappeared from almost all our counties. That was our first warning. There is a health insurance crisis, created by government. Don’t take my word for it; let’s compare what you may already know.

Most of us have four types of insurance coverage – health, life, auto and home. Of those four, which one has the LEAST amount of competition, offering your family the fewest choices? Of those four – life, auto, home and health – which one do you periodically fear may not be available at any price? Of those four, health care is the only insurance subjected to government price controls, and the only one with prices out of control.

If you’re still not convinced government is the problem with health care, then let’s imagine what would happen if ALL insurance was provided like health insurance.

When insuring our cars, with our own money, nobody buys “first dollar” coverage for routine expenses. That would be foolish. We buy the highest deductible we feel comfortable with. We do the same for homeowner insurance. We insure against large and unexpected expenses, not routine car care. That’s with our own dollars. But what if those were our employer’s dollars, and tax-free? Would we still be so frugal?

I don’t think so. We’d soon demand coverage for car washes and oil changes. And why not? If it’s free.

We'd get car washes every day and oil changes every week. For a while. But sooner or later, premiums would skyrocket, to pay the added costs of processing tens of billions of new and small claims. Then, more families would become uninsured. And eventually, the uninsured would be forced to drive dirty cars. Politicians would of course blame everyone else. “We have a car care crisis! The free market has failed!!”

Here’s the point -- if it’s foolish to spend our own dollars that way, isn’t it also dumb to spend our employer’s dollars the same way? The free market hasn't failed; we don't have one. It’s the illusion of free health care that has failed; we can’t afford it. Even now, politicians in both older parties speak only of reforming the system, tinkering around the edges. They won’t tell you there are no free car washes. I just did.

.We agreed – I believe – that we don’t want car insurances handed like health care. So let’s go the other way. Health insurance can be just as easy to buy as car insurance, with just as many competitors fighting for your business.

We need to abandon the illusion – the costly illusion – that health insurance is free. Workers must be allowed to control their health care dollars, the same dollars now spent for them by their employers. Without worker control, there can be no long term solutions.

With worker control, health insurance would finally be portable, and move with you from job to job.

Worker control would also benefit employees in small business. These workers are typically insured, but with get no choice of health plans, because small employers cannot handle the burdens or more than one health plan. Small business employs more than half of all American workers. This is a silent majority of American workers – who are ignored by both older political parties.

For more details, visit my campaign web site, phone my toll-free voicemail, or invite me to address your organization.

Freedom is still the best solution. This September and this November. Vote Libertarian.