Political courage needed for a national health system
The Providence Journal
1/21/03
Editorial
A National Health System
The United States already has a national health plan. It's called Medicare. Medicare does not, of course, cover everyone, but it could. And perhaps someday it will.
The big advantage of a nonprofit, government-run insurer like Medicare is that it spends relatively little on administrative costs.
The problem with American health care... isn't that we're not spending enough. It's that we're wasting resources.
It is possible to have a medical system that delivers top-quality care for everyone without spending more money. It only requires the political courage to displease some powerful interests and an electorate demanding change. Granted, that is a tall order.
http://www.projo.com/opinion/editorials/content/projo_20030121_21edmed.cd19c.html