The issue of health care affects us all and reveals a great deal about the American governmental system. Since the 1994 attempt by the Clinton administration to solve some of the American health care system’s problems, the issue has not been seriously addressed. However, in recent months, politicians have been making health care an even larger issue. Recently, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D.-N.Y., promised that she will implement universal health care if she succeeds in her bid for the White House, and other candidates are following her lead. She emphasized the fact that almost 47 million Americans, or nearly 16 percent of the population, go without health insurance.

Everyone understands that the American health care system has major problems. Currently, programs such as Medicare and Medicaid provide limited health coverage for the elderly and the lowest income groups. Yet even these programs do not cover many essential costs, and premiums are constantly rising. Americans pay more for health insurance than the citizens of other wealthy nations and still receive subpar care. According to some estimates, up to 18,000 American deaths per year result from a system that leaves many without adequate insurance and care.

As Democratic politicians acknowledge, our country needs a universal health care system. The government can create such a system and is more capable of acting in the public interest than are private, corporate institutions. Creating a single bureaucracy in the public interest can lower costs and address many of the failures of the current system, and could place the well-being of citizens above the goals of profit. The aim of our system should be to provide all Americans with health care that allows them to live in a sustainable manner. Wealthy Americans still would be able to afford exclusive treatment and costly elective procedures, while adequate health care for all would enable the less privileged to live fuller lives and have greater access to the opportunities of American society.