To the editors:
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One of the factors which most of the proponents of the Canadian system overlook is the major demographic and social differences between the U.S. and Canada. Our emergency rooms are packed with the results of gang violence, a social ill from which Canada does not suffer to as great an extent as the U.S.
The author also dismisses the litigation problem that is prevalent in the United States. Simply having a single payer will not in any sense eliminate the propensity of Americans to sue at the drop of a hat. While lawyers do definitely contribute to this, it is now a part of our culture. Until we change this we will be forced to cover the cost of the malpractice litigation. It is important to note that the largest share of most malpractice awards is not for the actual medical treatment which will be required to remedy a medical error, but rather for pain and suffering. Pain and suffering awards are not in any sense limited by having a single payer.
We also need to examine how we as a society can cover more of the uninsured. One often missed contributor to the rise in health insurance costs are the mandatory coverage items. For example, many states require that all health insurance policies cover in vitro fertilization and other artificial insemination methods. People should have the right to consciously buy insurance which only provides the coverage they desire and not be forced by the government to pay for insurance they do not want–or be denied coverage because they cannot afford all of the bells and whistles that some legislator decided the world could not live without.
