For some time now the insurance business has been subjected to an unwarranted barrage of attacks by the White House, which habitually singles out a whipping boy in order to support its agenda.

While it’s possible that there may be a company in some other location which employs questionable practices, this administration viciously makes a scapegoat of the entire health insurance business. This is altogether unfair to those many companies who provide good, prompt service and give security and peace of mind to their policyholders. My insurer is one and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Granted, health insurance costs do rise, but it’s not because the company is the greedy villain that its detractor would have you believe. Our reason for the higher costs is the proliferation of new medical treatments which were not available a few years back. These procedures are a blessing for those who need them, but they inevitably increase medical expenses. Just think of the cost of one of those imaging machines.

Other reasons include rampant fraud, government waste and lack of meaningful tort reform, which has the consequence of unnecessary testing and defensive medicine.

That’s just a partial list, but let’s put blame where it belongs and stop the irrational ranting and finger-pointing at a much needed industry.

We should speak up on behalf of these sound, reliable insurance companies who are there for us when we need them. I am grateful for mine.

Virginia O’Beirne

Natchez resident