By Quentin Young, M.D.
Chicago Tribune, Letters, June 28, 2012
The Supreme Court decision on health care reform achieved several goals. It affirmed the constitutionality of the federal health care reform legislation and clearly gave President Barack Obama’s re-election a big boost.
On the other hand, the decision left untouched serious defects in the present reform, including the following:
1. It leaves 26 million people uninsured in 2019 when the law is fully implemented. 2. It does not rein in skyrocketing health care costs. 3. It doesn’t mitigate the epidemic of medical bankruptcy, with 1 million victims in 2011.
These major defects can be avoided by enactment of single-payer, improved Medicare for all, based on the principle of everybody in, nobody out. Such legislation will end the irony of a health system that costs twice as much as systems in other nations, such as Canada and Taiwan, yet fails to cover so many.
Dr. Quentin Young is national coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-120628young_briefs,0,467211.story