Regarding "Oklahoma House panel passes health care bills” (news story, Feb. 24): I commend lawmakers in the Oklahoma House for promoting consumer-directed health plans and health savings accounts. By encouraging insurers to offer low-cost policies that cover core benefits, and by granting employers tax credits to help cover the cost of insurance, legislators will ensure that health insurance is within the reach of nearly all Oklahomans.
Lawmakers should also consider extending tax credits to folks who purchase insurance in the individual marketplace. Allowing individuals to buy health insurance with pre-tax dollars — as businesses currently can for their employees — would make health coverage affordable for thousands more and help people keep their policies if they switch jobs.
Sally C. Pipes, San Francisco, Calif.
Pipes is president and CEO of Pacific Research Institute.
