Letters to the Editor do not reflect the opinions of The Reporter, its publisher or its staff. You can submit your own Letter to the Editor by email to News@ReadTheReporter.com. Please include your phone number and city of residence. The Reporter will publish one letter per person per week.
Dear Editor:
Indiana’s economy has been strong for many years. To paraphrase former Governor Mitch Daniels, we have “built a great sandbox” and businesses have responded with billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs.
However, surrounding states have noticed and are trying to catch up with us. That is why I hope Governor Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly spend the coming months working on an agenda for next year that puts our economy first.
One way Indiana can maintain a competitive edge on other states is by getting our health care prices under control.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. health care spending grew 9.7 percent in 2020, reaching $4.1 trillion or $12,530 per person. In our state, healthcare costs are growing at an unsustainable rate as a result of a number of factors, including skyrocketing prescription drug prices and medical services costs, hospital consolidation, patients unnecessarily receiving care at higher-cost locations, as well as waste, fraud, and abuse. These factors need to be addressed, and it will take some pragmatic and innovative solutions.
As our election approaches, I hope that we as voters ask the hard questions about what our legislators are willing to do to combat rising healthcare costs. The status quo simply won’t do, and employers are paying the price. A solution is possible, but it takes our elected officials having the courage to have the conversation and seek input from businesses on the front lines of rising healthcare costs.
Together, they can bring transparency to these challenges and hopefully craft solutions that will strengthen our economy and our ability to become a stronger state.
Ryan Allio
Carmel