Health Care

By Gary M. Waayers

Health care is a human right. Today, 43 million Americans do not have basic health care insurance. This is immoral. We need to take health care out of the business equation. I support universal health care and a single-payer insurance program, publicly financed at the national level, administered locally, and privately delivered with freedom of choice of provider.

Many of our fellow citizens are self-employed. Under the current system they pay higher premiums on insurance, if they have coverage at all, because they have little to no access to group coverage. Family farmers are one group that suffer greatly under the current plan. Here in San Diego County many of our fellow citizens are self-employed. Many are trying to live the American Dream of being their own boss and making a living to support their families by working hard five, six, and some seven days a week. Due to the coast of housing here in San Diego County and throughout Southern California money is often tight for these hard working people. If the wage earner gets sick not only must they think about missing a day of no pay but they also must think about the co-pay if they seek medical help. Often the self-employed just do not have the money to buy health insurance.

We need to take health care out of the business equation. We need to stop having the health of workers seen as little more then an entry on the bottom line of big business and an option for those that are self- employed. Doing this will help business in the long run. Businesses can predict what their cost will be. Their competitors will be on the same playing field when it comes to health-care coverage for employees. It frees up the time and cost just keeping track of what plans give the best policy to meet your business's and employee's needs. Businesses can focus more on business, and healthy employees can focus on work.

Fundamental reform of our nation's health care system is necessary to provide affordable, quality, and accessible health care for all Americans. Currently, the United States is the only major industrialized country without a national health care system. Unfortunately, we have a private insurance system that insures only the healthiest people, systematically denying coverage to individuals with "pre-existing" conditions and routinely terminating coverage to those who become ill.

I support universal health care and a single-payer insurance program, publicly financed at the national level, administered locally, and privately delivered with freedom of choice of provider. Universal health care would cover all standard medical procedures, as well as drug treatment, dental care, medication for chronic and terminal illness, equal coverage of mental illness, and abortion.

Under this plan, all Americans must be covered regardless of employment, income, housing, age, or prior medical condition. Comparing to other nations that have enacted similar programs, a universal health care program would be more economical in the long term and would save money in many areas.

We must find a way to provide quality health care to all Americans in a way that will not place an individual or family in poverty because of an accident or illness. We must find a way for people that are sick or hurt to not have to decide to see a doctor or buy food for their kids. With 43 million Americans without health-care and many more with co-pays so high they fail to seek medical help when they need to his nothing short of immoral. Our country is too great to let this continue. Support universal health care and my candidacy if you care to work on righting this wrong.