Be wary of self- serving campaigns

A strong public option, or, even better, a single-payer health care plan, would result in more effective and less expensive health care. Here's a story that supports that assertion.

Although I now work as a nurse, I used to work for the Wisconsin Central Railroad. This regional railroad was acquired by the Canadian National Railroad, which decided to eliminate one of three locomotive servicing facilities to cut costs. Even though the local one in Wisconsin was more cost effective, more efficient, and safer than the others, it was the one cut. Americans lost jobs, mainly because of the higher cost of health insurance for American compared to Canadian employees.

The Canadian single-payer plan is not only cheaper overall but also covers all the people and allows participants to choose their health providers. A Gallup Poll, as reported in the Sunday New York Times Magazine of July 19, showed that 73 percent of English and Canadian citizens (both with national health care programs) had faith in their health care systems, while only 56 percent of Americans do.

Our health care delivery system is not one we can rely on, and it costs more to cover fewer people with poorer health outcomes. The opponents of a robust public option are spending huge amounts of money to influence our elected representatives and to confuse or frighten us away from needed reforms.

Those drug and insurance corporations want to continue to feast on their extremely high profit margins achieved through cherry picking who they cover, denying coverage in arbitrary ways, and increasing premiums well beyond inflation. Let's not fall victim to their self-serving campaign.

Dan Bailey

Wheaton