Joe Trovato (HillaryCare hides socialist disasters,? Jan. 29) strongly argues against Hillary Clinton?s current socialized medicine plan in which the government provides, controls and pays for everyone?s health care. His column roundly rejects the supposed universal health care plan Ms. Clinton would enact if she were elected. I find it interesting that he spent an entire column criticizing this plan, because it doesn?t exist.
Mr. Trovato states that the answer to the current health care crisis is more choice and competition. In reality, choice and competition are fundamental to Hillary?s plan, which allows Americans to buy insurance from a wide variety of health care providers, and gives the option of purchasing a high-quality government plan. And, if you are happy with your current private health care plan, no problem ? you can keep it.
Ms. Clinton proposes to help low-income families and small businesses by providing them with tax cuts to help pay for insurance. Under the Clinton plan, private insurers could not deny people from buying insurance due to a preexisting condition or drop them from health care plans because of a catastrophic illness.
Now let?s stop and think about Hillary?s actual health care plan. Does it sound like the government singlehandedly controlling every hospital, overriding every doctor?s decision and forcing us to wear red and eat borscht every day? I didn?t think so, either.
Ms. Clinton?s plan is to give everyone the option of having affordable health care through increased competition and efficiency. It?s not a plan to jam a single health care plan down every American?s throat. And while it seems like providing insurance for everyone is too expensive, it is actually economically efficient. When the uninsured end up in public hospital emergency rooms for diseases that could have been treated earlier, taxpayers foot the bill. As Dr. Timothy Johnson, medical editor of ABC News puts it, ?Better to treat pneumonia early with antibiotics than end up in the intensive care unit on a respirator with lung failure.?
As a rapidly growing number of Americans struggle to obtain medical care they cannot afford, health care reform is arguably the most important issue in this upcoming election. America?s health care system is ranked 37th by the World Health Organization, not exactly the envy of the world. By grossly misrepresenting Ms. Clinton?s plan, by using buzzwords like ?socialized medicine? ? which talk show pundits have continually polluted the media with ? Americans? struggles are reduced to empty political rhetoric. We need to seriously and accurately evaluate all of the candidates? health care proposals without buying into widespread misconceptions.
Nick Zaban
UW senior, biochemistry
