Government-run health care. Taboo?

There is an 800-pound gorilla in the room in the form of a lack of debate by Congress for a totally government-run health care system. Politicians are afraid to discuss it for fear of being labeled Communists or Socialists. Too bad. The current health system is costing too much. It needs to be dealt with.

Our current health care system accounts for about 18 percent of our GDP, about twice what all industrialized nations who have government-run systems spend.

For decades the cost of health care has been increasing faster than any other item in the Consumer Price Index. The U.S. government, via Medicare, is already responsible for all the older Americans. Statistics consistently show that the last six months of life consumes more health care costs than people incur throughout their lifetimes. Most young healthy citizens pay huge insurance premiums to private for-profit insurance companies and end up not needing high-cost services. When it comes time for the real health care costs to kick in, our government takes over.

Some will say look at what happened at the government-run Veterans Affairs recently. What did happen? A problem was identified and it was swiftly dealt with. Heads rolled and changes were made. In the private sector, for-profit corporations are controlled by the stockholders. They are backed by armies of lobbyists and lawyers ready to shape results to maximize profits. At least with government-run programs, we can hold politicians accountable through the ballot box. Government-run health care systems seem to be working in all other democratic industrialized countries in the world and for half the cost.

Obamacare is a poor transition to universal health care. Come on, politicians, show some courage, confront the gorilla and at least debate the issue.

Ron Mengarelli

Gilberts