The Kansas City Star
Jan. 26, 2003
As I See It: Single-payer system would fix health system
By Joshua Freeman
Those who observe that there are waits for some elective services in Canada are confusing how health-care resources are distributed (inequitably in the United States, equitably in Canada) and how much we spend on health care. Per capita, the United States spends twice what Canada spends and four times what Britain spends; if either country could afford to spend anything close to these levels, there would be no waits for any services in either country. What we lack is a structure that is rational and equitable, as is single payer.
The American people can demand a rational cost-effective system that provides equitable, necessary access to health care for all. Eliminating insurance industry profit and implementing a single-payer system can be a central part of this solution.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/5025963.htm
Joshua Freeman, MD is chairman of the department of family medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center.