Any politician who opposes health-care reform as unnecessary is delusional.

The politicians’ claims to oppose health-care reform, the “public option” or cost-containment measures “on principle” are lies: Follow the money from their giant campaign contributors.

Congressmen, Republicans and Democrats alike, are more concerned about their campaign coffers than their constituents. Hogs at the trough.

We’re already indirectly paying for the cost of health-care reform through higher charges for health-care expenses and health insurance. We all indirectly pay when an uninsured person visits an expensive emergency room, can’t pay for medical services, public aid pays medical expenses after an uninsured person loses his job and assets because of health issues and Medicare pays for intensive services incurred by an elderly person who couldn’t visit doctors for a decade or more.  

Health-care reform forces persons who can afford health insurance to stop making us indirectly pay for their medical expenses when they don’t purchase insurance and stiff doctors and hospitals. Businesses can’t shirk responsibility for fair contributions for employee health benefit costs as easily. 

Health-care reform will end locking persons into jobs, or preventing employment, because of health insurance or “pre-existing condition” issues. I don’t care whether the solution is private insurance or a pilot government program that will, at the least, keep the insurers more honest in underwriting, claim payments and rates. 

A good portion of Jesus’ ministry was healing the sick. It is “fundamentally Christian” to support the availability of proper health-care services for everyone who requires medical care.

Dan Deneen, Bloomington