Oct 12, 2013 2 min read

Health care in the United States is a mess. I think everyone agrees with that. How we repair it is the issue that’s up for debate. The current local battle between the two health care Goliaths is very telling: Billboards on every corner; advertising plastered on walls at the airport; full-page newspaper ads; television blitzkriegs.

You are safe and warm in their loving embrace. It’s all about them. Not you. Not your doctor. It’s about their quest for untold amounts of cash.

Unseemly? I think so. You pay them big bucks to pay your medical bills. They get in between you and your doctor by creating a mountain of rules and regulations. They tell you who to see, where to go, and what they will pay for. Sometimes they pay, sometimes they don’t. It’s their call.

In addition to your premium, you are paying for advertising, executive perks, chauffeurs, lavish office buildings, vacations, liquor, dinners and lobbying. The list goes on and on.

The answer is so very simple. Universal single-payer health coverage. All in. You pay the government to take care of your medical bills. They provide the very same service without using a profit-driven model. What is so special about these insurance companies? What do they do that the government can’t? The government can supply the same service at fraction of the cost and use their clout to drive down prices all across the board. The physicians still make a comfortable living. The hospitals still get paid. It’s about you and your doctor. That should be the core principle.

You can go from job to job and not have to worry about health care coverage. Employers score big because they no longer have to supply this expensive benefit. You aren’t buying apples – you are buying health and well-being. I don’t see that as a consumer item. After all, we pool our money to finance death. Why not pool it to finance life?

Lawrence Nader

Canonsburg