To the editor:
There are definitely problems with the American healthcare system that are too numerous to discuss with any accuracy in 250 words, but government involvement in healthcare is the solution, not the problem. Briefly, the major problem is ownership of insurance companies, hospitals, pharmaceuticals and private physician practices by for-profit companies along with vertical integration that results in monopolies. The drastic rise of healthcare costs tracks directly with increased ownership of healthcare by big business. In contrast, the American system of socialized healthcare, Traditional Medicare, is non-profit and has the lowest administrative costs of any health insurer, so the premiums are used to provide care, not profits or executive compensation. It is used by 97% of all seniors, and has a 94% satisfaction rating. The problem with the Affordable Care Act is that the only option is to buy private insurance. The solution is to take exorbitant profits out of the system and give everyone the option to buy Traditional Medicare. Every developed country in the world has a form of socialized healthcare and they all have better outcomes than the US. The text of the Ninth Amendment says “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Healthcare should be a human right, not a privilege for the wealthy few.
JoAnne Brown Glen Arbor
