Single-payer health system may be answer

Last month “Trumpcare” had a spectacular flameout. Maybe it’s because only 17 percent of the public liked the proposed Republican health plan.

Health plans should have preventive care, cover serious health problems, and be available to all. The current ACA (Obamacare) is based on a system developed by the “Heritage Foundation” (a right wing group), and implemented through insurance companies. It was first used in Massachusetts by Republican Governor Mitt Romney. A meaningful insurance plan must be large, and include a variety of clients so that the young and healthy help pay for those needing expensive care. The ACA attempts to include those but is only marginally successful for various reasons, e.g. it’s set up on an individual state basis. Also, insurance companies and drug companies are extracting gigantic profits.

The developed world has solved the health care problem, for the most part, with a single-payer system available to all and financed through the government. These countries spend less than we do per capita, many less than half as much. The life span of individuals is generally equal to or more than ours. Infant mortality is generally at or less than ours. We should learn from the rest of the world. Richard Metayer Mystic