Is there anything I can add to the health care debate that has not already been covered over and over? Not really, though I can without a doubt state that I am completely against it.

The one thing I would like to see more debate on though is the concept of being self-insured. In many cases, including my own, being self-insured would be a better and cheaper option than the plan I have now. For one, it would allow me to completely manage my own care as opposed to having to beg for permission to do anything, including exploring different options for treatment. In most cases now the insurance company turns down various treatments in favor of more cost efficient treatments they decided are right for me, even if in total opposition to my doctor's advice and desires. Those who make these decisions are adminitrators, not trained medical professionals.

I actually have a government run plan as I work for a government entity. I am forced to pay for this policy, and it is not exactly what I would call affordable! In addition, more often than not, they approve referrals to specialists, then deny payment after the fact leaving me with huge piles of medical bills that I must find ways to pay for over and above the premiums.

I am actually in decent shape for a man my age. I am not overweight and in decent physical shape. I do have degenerative arthritis and type 2 diabetes which leaves me unisurable in most cases. Add in the fact that my wife is a eight year breast cancer survivor and we are left completely out in the cold.

Last year my total medical expenses, (premium payments, co-pays and uninsured or denied coverage expenses,) exceeded $12,000.00. This is a huge chunk, especially when you make as little as I do. Crunching the numbers shows me that if I were self-insured, my medical expenses, including a catastrophic health care policy, would not have exceeded my current premium payments, thus saving me over three grand! If you add in what my employer pays toward my policy, (meaning what they contribute now would continue to be contributed,) it would have reduced my expenses another $4500.00! That $7500.00 would have been a huge benefit to me during the last year. It would mean the difference between just eking by each payday and actually allowing me to eat out once in a while, upgrade our vehicles, or even buy that big screen TV! More realistically, it would mean we could invest more toward our retirement, which right now looks pretty bleak.

So why is it now illegal for me to be self-insured? Should this not be an available option for all free Americans?