Mr. Sorensen wrote an article recently regarding single-payer, and I’m not so certain where he got his information other than the internet. That is dangerous due to people writing up incorrect stories to disrupt something positive.

Yes, the VA has had issues lately. For years it was working fine but not recently. What happened was that the federal government opened up the criteria for qualifications for our vets who have served our country. When that happened, they failed to add more staff to deal with the surge of people. Accessing the system has problems, but care within it is fine.

Sorensen indicates that if you want to shorten your life, single-payer is the route to go.  Actually quite the opposite. Many single-payer countries have longer average life spans than the U.S.

Drug prices have soared beyond belief. That is because monopolistic markets do not work.

Drug lobbyists write the bills for Congress for what they want. Yes, that is true.  Under single-payer all pricing would be negotiated to bring costs down to a respectable level. The very wealthy Republicans, e.g., the Koch Brothers, do not want that.

Health care is a necessity and a right. We should not lack health care in order to make a few people rich. It shouldn’t be controlled by HMOs or the rich. 

Finally, despite what people continue to express incorrectly, health care would not be controlled by government employees under single-payer. To really understand health care, do your homework and do not rely on internet stories, as it appears Mr. Sorensen does.

Paul Tuveson

Woodbury