Health care is a moral issue

I believe all people should have access to affordable basic health care. Our health reform debate should be a moral issue about whether we, the richest nation in the world, will provide access to affordable basic health care. We are the only major industrialized country that does not.

There are 130,000 people ages 50 to 64 in Washington who have no insurance, and that figure is rising every day as people lose their jobs and health insurance. Providing basic health care, including preventive care and early diagnosis, can be cost-effective and more importantly is the right thing to do.

The two big cost drivers in health care are for-profit medical insurance and technology. We can do little about technology, but we can work to bring the cost down by insurance reform. Having a public option may provide the competition necessary to accomplish this goal. Negotiating the price for drugs and keeping people out of the emergency room for routine care will help. We should look at the examples set by other countries to lower costs and improve quality.

Dr. George H. Rice

Spokane