In Defense of Health Plan

* Professor Paul J. Feldstein, Ph.D., in his Commentary on Business (“Clinton’s Health Care Plan Threatens the County’s Recovery,” March 27), has it all wrong on what he calls unfairness of the employer mandate in the Clinton health-care plan.

Either the small employer pays for his employees’ health care or he pays wages high enough that the employees can purchase their own. Any other way simply transfers the cost to someone else, the unfairest plan of all.

The real question to be asked is whether it is the employer or employee who has the best chance of holding costs down.

If, as Dr. Feldstein agrees, the small employer needs help to stay in business, we should face it as it is, a subsidy.

Give the small business owner a tax break or some other assistance, but let’s not burden the health-care plan with this unfair cost.

EMEL A. SMITH

Laguna Hills