When it comes to health care, most Arizonans want the same thing: lower costs, improved access and higher quality. That’s why I cannot understand how anyone could support a government-controlled health care system like the public option or Medicare for All.

A new study found that a public option would cost even more than some initial estimates suggest, and that it could require a $2,500 payroll tax increase on the average American worker or an 18% increase in personal income tax rates. Now is hardly a time to pile massive new tax burdens on the backs of Arizonans.

A public option could also undermine access to care by pushing at-risk hospitals further into the red. Add to that the fact that it could also increase health care costs for small businesses while undermining the choice and flexibility in plans on the private insurance market, and the whole thing just doesn’t make sense.

As a health care broker, I rely on private insurance and I want my plans to be protected. Our lawmakers should focus on making our current system work better instead of trying to create an entirely new one that will only increase taxes and hurt working families.

Todd A. Bradford
Phoenix