Universal health coverage is the cure

What does universal health insurance mean? It means you take profit-making insurance corporations out of the health care equation. United Health Care’s 2019 profit was $13.8 billion, up 15.5% from 2018.

I don’t know the exact plan that Bernie Sanders has, but I know he is impressed by Canada’s system. I lived in Canada for many years. I was grateful to live with single-payer, government-run health care.

In a universal health care program, everyone’s insurance is government administrated and only has to break even. Its purpose is to provide you health care, not make a profit. This results in good health care for everyone at a much lower cost.

In 1982 we paid $34 a month to insure our family of six in British Columbia, Canada. When we left in 2002 we were paying $64. A person who is poor pays nothing but still has full coverage. No matter how many doctor appointments we had we never paid more than our monthly fee. We did pay for prescriptions. We always chose our own doctors.

We had one emergency appendectomy, one baby and the typical broken bones and stitches needed for the falls of childhood, but never paid a hospital bill. It now costs $69.25 per month for a family or individual earning more than $30,000 annually. Don’t be afraid or believe big-business health insurance companies. Embrace universal health care and save lots.

Illene Pevec

Carbondale

via:: The Aspen Times