By Karen Ann DeLuca, Alexandria

To the editor:

There is an obvious point being lost in the discourse over the continuing difficulties with the government’s online health insurance exchanges.

The idea of providing medical care for all Americans has been around for more than 50 years — predating the Internet by decades. So if such a program had been instituted at any point between the New Deal and “Hillarycare,” how would it have been implemented?

My guess is with pen and paper, with the details of the choices in a booklet with accompanying forms to complete the signup.

Why can’t we do that now, either by a mass mailing or by utilizing a public pickup situation — you can still get basic tax forms at the library, for instance — in order to assist people in meeting the March 31 deadline? Doesn’t that make more sense than placing all the emphasis — and blame — on HealthCare.gov while hoping for an IT solution?

The marketplace call center also is an option. Not everyone has access to the Internet, let alone the knowledge to navigate it. Pretty much all of us get mail and have a phone.
Dream big, but think simple — and outside of the digital box.