Improve care, save money

The recent article about U.S. students falling further behind other countries in math may help explain the proposals to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. It is a well-documented fact that the U.S. spends almost twice as much as other countries to get health care that is not as good. Even the insurance industry knows that in order to make the system work in a financially sound manner, you have to have a large pool of participants to spread the risk and lower the cost.

If the Republican-controlled Congress is truly financially conservative, rather than ideologically blinded, it will realize that there are only two possible solutions for replacing the ACA. One is a universal single-payer system that is either government run or contracted out under strict regulation. The other is a tightly regulated private insurance system with a mandate that everyone in the country is covered with the same benefits.

Unless our current elected representatives are the ones who failed math in high school, they should be able to put their skills to work to improve the nation’s health and save us all money at the same time.

Daniel Schaffer

Spokane