As Congress prepares to begin debate soon on the health care crisis, it is apparent that a single-payer universal health care system is the best and most cost-efficient way to go. The Congressional Budget Office has consistently found single-payer will save taxpayers millions of dollars by the end of the decade.
Single-payer should be implemented for everybody: the rich, the poor and the politicians. It is very clear whatever health care reform package is approved in Washington, it will come down to individual states to decide how the program is administered. Therefore, Illinois needs a strong leader who is going to work for the health of our families, not the health of insurance company profits and the financial health of members of the Illinois State Medical Society.
This is an election year. Whoever is elected governor could decide what kind of health care system this state has for years to come. It will be important to choose a leader who will do the best for Illinois consumers.
Before the March primary or the November general election, ask the candidates what they plan to do about health care reform. Ask the candidate how much money, how many gifts or how many trips they have received from special interests. Don’t accept the fast talk or complicated answers to simple questions. The right answer is that their platform includes establishing a single-payer, universal health care system for Illinois. Then vote for the candidates who are working for you.
