To the editor:

I’m glad to see young people engaged in politics, and both columns about health care issues on April 10 were well written. I would ask the two who criticized “socialized health care” to consider this: Although Canadians may wait longer for appointments than we usually do here in the United States, the price we pay for quick access is uneven access.

My niece needed several surgeries when she was a baby to correct a congenital defect. Her parents were working as teachers in a private Christian boarding school, earning little more than their room and board. If not for Canada’s universal health care, my niece would either still be handicapped or my brother’s family would have gone bankrupt. Some industries do not function well when based on the free market and profit motives. Health care and education are among them.

Maggie Childs, Lawrence