This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
America is a country where business profits substantially off the illnesses of our people. As medicine advanced, it meant those with less were sometimes left out, left to die early or live lives without.
Speaker Paul Ryan gave a nice speech on market forces and health care yesterday. He used Lasik surgery as an example of how market principles can bring health care prices down and quality up. Of course, this is smoke and mirrors. It works with Lasik because Lasik is optional. Ryan lamented: If only the same principles could be applied to his children's tonsils. I wonder if one of those children were faced with cancer would he skip the chemo if it were too pricey, bringing costs down in the big picture? I think not.
And then there is this fact: In every one of America's partners in the free world, each has chosen some version of a single-payer system. None of those systems is perfect. Each is flawed. Yet, in spite of this, in none of those free countries are there any grass-roots efforts, or free people marching in the streets, working to adopt an "American system" of health care. It seems they made a choice to care for everyone rather than fill the pockets of corporations. And it works: They live longer, and spend much less. How nice would that be?
Mark Petersen
Park City