To the editor:

As the health of our economy continues to worsen by the day, the deteriorating health of our citizens is overshadowed by the panic of the moment. As millions of Americans become unemployed — and uninsured — the need for reform is vital. Every year, more than 20,000 uninsured adults die because of delayed or denied health care due to unaffordable premiums or pre-existing conditions.

President Obama has promised to sign health care financing legislation that will ensure access to affordable health care for all Americans. But how will this be accomplished?

Last week, the New York Times reported on a secret panel of health care organizations that has been meeting with senators since last fall. This group proposes achieving universal coverage through individual mandates and promises by the insurance industry to provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.

Sadly, these “experts” have excluded the voices of tens of thousands of health care providers and millions of citizens who are calling for justice in health care financing. This would start with the elimination of the profit motive by corporations and their executives who are lavished with multimillion-dollar salaries derived from the premium payments of individuals and business.

The ultimate solution is clearly a single-payer system of financing that would be modeled after Medicare, an American system of publicly financed, privately delivered health care that has served our nation for over 40 years. In our current weakened economy, single-payer financing would save billions of dollars while providing coverage for all Americans.

Dr. David Goering,
Lawrence