Regarding Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar’s op-ed “Trump putting patients in control” (July 22, TribLIVE): We should consider what buying a house or a car would cost if the price was government controlled and a secret. They would be harder to find and more expensive. Mysterious middlemen indirectly sponsored by government would arise: Auto benefit managers or house benefit managers would negotiate high prices but provide somebody with a kickback.
It was good to hear from Azar that some of this nonsense in our medical care is being swept away.
Richard E. Ralston
Newport Beach, Calif.
The writer is executive director of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine (afcm.org).