The vast majority of Americans agree that we need some kind of health insurance reform.

With premiums and deductibles skyrocketing, at the current rate private health insurance will be out of reach to all but the wealthy.

First, we need to get a handle on waste and fraud. A large percentage of your monthly premium goes down the waste pipe in the form of bad accounting, redundancy and just plain low efficiency.

Experts agree streamlining insurance contracts is in order. A general set of standards should apply to caregivers across the board. This would eliminate wasted time and mountains of paperwork.

Did you know that under the current business plan each doctor and hospital must negotiate an individual plan with each separate insurance carrier? Imagine the time and cost to all parties.

Penalties for fraudulent claims and illegal activity must be enhanced and enforced to the full extent of the law.

Why aren’t we doing more now?

Concurrently we need to reform tort law.

Civil and malpractice lawsuits account for a huge portion of the premium you pay.

Lawyers jam the courts with frivolous lawsuits, and plaintiffs are awarded ridiculous settlements, costing the insurance companies, and ultimately you and me, billions in lawyers’ fees and settlements.

Yes, doctors and hospitals make mistakes, but they are few compared to the lives they enhance and save.

We need them to survive and be efficient. There must be a cap on settlements across the board.

Yes, compensation should be in order for gross negligence when loss of life or permanent injury occurs, but who ends up paying for these unrealistically high settlements? You do.

Finally, we need to expand and increase funding of our free clinic system, currently paid by charitable contributions and anemic federal and state funding.

This would help the poor and immigrants who currently must use our hospital emergency rooms as primary care facilities for lack of any alternative.

If we can ever reform health insurance for the better, every man, woman and child in this country will benefit. Then we won’t need government-run healthcare. Bud Hall Simi Valley