Propaganda muddies health-care debate

Of all the developed countries. the U.S. is the only one without a comprehensive health care plan for all citizens.

One in six Americans is uninsured because we rely on a broken, segmented for-profit business model to deliver health care. We also pay for the most expensive health care delivery system in the world, and are seeing personal bankruptcies soar due to unaffordable medical expenses.

I have a "pre-existing condition" that would make me uninsurable if I did not have coverage under my husband's health care plan. I also know the high price of medical care and pharmacy even though I am insured.

The monetary interests the behind health care lobby stand to lose high profits if they had to compete with a public health care option for everyone. They do not want to compete against a public health care option like Medicare (which is very successful and cost efficient) which would force them to provide better services at lower cost.

The health care lobby is already blitzing the media promoting self-serving information ("freedom of choice") and using scare tactics ("socialized medicine", "bureaucrats making your health care decisions"), which in the past were very successful in diverting us from the real debate as to how we can provide decent health care for all.

I only hope that Americans are smart enough to examine the real issues and not the propaganda put out to influence their choices against their own self interest. Don't kid yourself, health care is too expensive, and "more of the same" is not going to make it any cheaper or available to all of us.

Paula Cook

Bartlett