This is my last letter on the health care debate and I hope to answer Jeff  Laeger-Hagemeister’s comment as to why there isn’t more of “an abundance of constructive debate” about health care reform. The facts:

The six men (three Republicans and three Democrats) in charge of drawing up the plan for the president to sign have all received millions from the health industry — most notably the private health insurers.

The major plan, the one used by all developed nations in the world, the one that would cover everyone, everybody in, nobody out, no bills from the doctor, no bills from the hospital, no deductibles, no co-pays, no corporate profits, no threat of bankruptcy, hospitals privately owned and operated, physicians able to have private practices, citizens free to buy private insurance if preferred, and, most importantly, this single-payer health plan would save $440 billion per year — and yet this plan is barred from discussion, blacked out by the media and 10 physicians who stood up at the health reform meeting, demanding that the single-payer (Medicare for all) plan be on the table, were dragged out by the police.

Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats for over 60 years have proclaimed that a single-payer plan as both socialism and communism. When sane minds point out that England, Canada and most of Europe can hardly be thought of as communistic, they then turn on our government’s ability. Our government, they proclaim, is too ignorant, too inept, too venal to handle any health care system. Far better they say, to leave America’s health in the hands of private industry (to whom they are beholden).

Then sane minds again point out that our government has done a good job in handling Medicare — especially considering that the plan covers America’s oldest, sickest, citizens and only costs 4 percent for administration and the elderly are quite satisfied. Furthermore, if Medicare covered everyone, the elderly would not have to pay for additional private backup plans — a savings of hundreds per month. Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats reply, ah, but Medicare is almost bankrupt. Sane minds then point out that this is due to private insurers and huge pharmaceuticals siphoning off billions from Medicare funds. And so it goes. We are all caught up in the power of Wall Street who want the profits from our health and have a president who will not stand up to them. Trillions to bail out Wall Street and the banking industry while we get nothing — not even the public option the Democrats were hoping for.

As Alexander Cockburn (The Nation) recently wrote, “People start to go collectively crazy when they know that all the exits from our present state into the world of constructive reason are locked. Just think, a president trying to pass off as health care ‘reform’ a gift to the insurance industry of 30 million new customers, to be required by law to pony up insurance premiums and then be cheated. Doesn’t that make you crazy, too?”

Mary Milliron

Hollandale