To the editor:

I'm writing to respond to the idea that health insurance can be provided by a free market system, an idea which is an economic impossibility. If you leave politics aside and look at the economics literature, even conservative economists acknowledge this. Insurance has been around a long time and there has been much research on what kinds of expenses can be covered by private sector insurance. Health costs violate these principles in many ways. Space prevents a thorough description, but here are some ways.