To the editor:

Americans pay twice as much for drugs and healthcare then any other developed nation.

Let’s examine a few facts versus corporate myths regarding this issue:

Q: How many other countries with universal healthcare are clambering to adopt our system?

A: Zero! Canadians recently chose Tommy Douglas as the most admired Canadian. Why was he chosen over, Alexander Graham Bell, Pierre Trudeau, Wayne Gretsky or Pamela Anderson? He led the fight for universal healthcare in 1970. If they hate their system so much, why would they honor him above all other Canadians? The truth is that they don’t understand why we’d stick with such a sick system.

Q: Isn’t our system the best in the world?

A: Not if you consider 37th best! The World Health Organization ranks the U.S. 37th and the French system number one. Why? French citizens enjoy a higher life expectancy and lower infant mortality then we do and they have the lowest percentage of amenable,” which are preventable, deaths. Unfortunately, this is the one category where the U.S. is number one!

Q: Is it difficult for them to recruit doctors to these “repressive” systems?

A: France has 33 percent more doctors per capita then we do!

Q: What is the most common cause of bankruptcy in the U.S.? Must be credit card debt?

A: No, a medical crisis is the reason for greater than 50 percent of all bankruptcies in the U.S. Lose your job or get a disease the fine print doesn’t cover and your retirement will be taking a retirement!

Q: Why have all industrialized nations converted from the complex, expensive, inefficient, inequitable system of providing healthcare we in the U.S.A. cling to?

A: Corporations do not rule there. The U.S. government is dominated by a corporate oligarchy. Follow the money: The insurance and drug industries are the biggest lobby in Washington and the heaviest campaign contributors.

Q: But isn’t it expensive?

A: We pay twice as much and our system doesn’t even cover everyone! In Austin, Texas they discovered the consequence of this when it was discovered that nine patients used the emergency rooms 2,700 times in one year at a cost to hospitals, taxpayers of $3 million dollars! In our greed powered system, even if you have coverage, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get care. The AIG memos that came to light after we bought them confirmed that it was corporate policy to deny and obfuscate treatment even for deserving customers!

Meanwhile, the taxpayers supplement them with our emergency rooms, Medicare and Medicaid.

Final question: Where is Christian charity in this issue?

Answer: What would Jesus do and why?

Gary Piazzon

Coupeville