Derailing the ‘Health Care Express’ is essential if Americans are to ensure that health care will always be available to every citizen. Those who previously climbed aboard can – and should – disembark immediately. All others can avoid the conductor’s call of ‘all aboard’ by ‘tuning-out’ the administration’s joint programming upcoming on the ABC television network.

Make no mistake, ABC’s multiple productions, direct from the White House, are intended to convince everyone to respond favorably to the administration’s orchestrated messaging. Anyone tantalized to watch ABC this Wednesday would be wise to respond to the soothsayers call with a convincing “No way!”

That would be a first step toward ensuring that health care will always be available to every responsible citizen.

The next wise step for citizens would be to turn off the TV set, and tune their thinking to how best to address personally their individual and family health care needs.

Yes, that may be a ‘novel’ approach to many. But, it’s the responsible way.

Therefore, it’s also the best way.

Every citizen can do it. Government could actually help… by getting out of the way.

We’ll outline here how small yet significant changes can empower every citizen to responsibly deal with their personal, and, where applicable, their dependent family members health care.

First, some background including relevant facts and commentary.

President Obama, and others with special interests in perpetuating and expanding government involvement, use costs to stoke fear, anxiety, and as justification for what they have puffed-up into a crisis. Setting aside how some have manipulated cost data, and other facts, for their own purposes; past GAO reports do point out that “health care spending on average has grown much faster than the economy… from 1975 through 2005, aggregate public and private spending on health care grew from about 8 percent to 16 percent of GDP… in 2005, public and private spending totaled $2 trillion… [and] is projected to grow to 20 percent of GDP by 2015.”

That’s alarming. As it should be.

It is also why politicians can say that “health care spending will approach one dollar in five” in a few short years. But, more importantly, it is also a major reason why every citizen should conclude “No Way!” to expanded government intervention in health care; while moving expeditiously to push government entirely out of the health care equation.

Consider your own situation.

You are either Single or Married, and with or without dependents. Thus you are only responsible for yourself and, if applicable, your spouse and children.

Put another way, you and every other individual are responsible for your current and future health condition as well as the costs, directly and indirectly, related to maintaining and improving that condition, plus the costs incurred to correct diagnoses that are the result of your own choices and personal behavior. In addition, as an adult and as a parent, that responsibility expands to include any other individual deemed dependent on you.

Let’s look at an average period of health care receipts. We’ll begin with a planned visit – your annual physical – followed by a several unscheduled visits due to various illnesses. Along the way, you also sought emergency room care; and, later, elective surgery required a 10 day hospital stay. In addition to fees for your doctor office visits, and the respective hospital charges; add the charges billed by various other doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and, perhaps, other specialists. While this scenario may excludes other possible health care services such as rehabilitation facility stays, home care, etc; your scenario would certainly include the costs of drugs prescribed for various ailments, illnesses, and ongoing therapies.

No wonder growing numbers of people have become so susceptible to the siren song sung by political soothsayers who sell ‘universal’ health care to the masses as if no one has to pay.

Most people know the lie but close their eyes in order to not see their better self staring back at them in the mirror of personal responsibility. To open their eyes is to admit knowing the truth - politicians aggressively spinning their version of the classic social good into opportunities for gather votes.

Because of such irresponsibility over the years– those consumers and many incumbent politicians – funding health care via government increasing involvement has already made the system unsustainable. Permitting more government intrusion would add still more burden on citizen taxpayers and increase moral hazard.

Here’s another truth:

What is needed is a way for growing numbers of individuals to be personally responsible for themselves, and their dependents.

Outlined here are principles of a ‘Blueprint for Better Health Care’ that will lower costs:

Each individual – citizen or non-citizen - living within the United States, and its territories, is personally responsible to directly pay any health care provider for every service rendered to them - or to their dependents. Continued...