David Browning’s letter of March 15 was on target.
After spending 25 years in the healthcare field, most of it related to making hospitals more efficient and effective, I have become skeptical of many of Washington’s reform efforts, especially by the GOP, but also by some Democrats.
The current situation is a mess. The Commonwealth Fund issued a report (2014) which lists us last among 11 developed nations on quality of care, access to care, efficiency, and equity. At the same time, we are the most expensive.
In 2016, per OECD, U.S. per capita healthcare cost was $9,451. That compares with $5,227 in Sweden, $3,983 in Finland $3,272 in Italy and only $2,532 in Israel.
People in these countries are healthier than in our country and things are getting worse here. In 2001 among the U.S. non-elderly, 14 percent did not see a doctor for needed medical care. The figure rose to 26 percent in less than a decade.
The most basic financial problem with U.S. health care is the for-profit insurance system. Insurance company profits have increased 250 percent in the last decade.
What is the best course of action to provide better healthcare and reduce the growth of national healthcare expenditures? Move to single payer.
Single payer would drive down costs because Medicare (or a utility-like private single payer insurer) would have leverage to keep costs down. With no other game in town, providers would be forced to operate more efficiently. Drug companies would be pressured to give Americans the same drug pricing that is found elsewhere.
Jack Bernard
Peachtree City, Ga.
