Dr. Ronald Housley’s May 6 letter to the Portland Press Herald, warning that the movement to create a single-payer system is a violation of our “strong, individual rights-protecting nation,” is a stretch.
Democrats and Republicans supported the creation of a Veterans Affairs single-payer system of health care for our veterans. Medicare was created as a safety net for our elders. If one adds in Medicaid, nearly 60 percent of our population is already covered by one form or another of government health insurance.
Medicare, in particular, has functioned well with cost controls and low administrative expenses. As traditional health insurance and the cost of medications are priced out of an average person’s ability to pay, a single-payer system is the only answer. If a single-payer system is good enough for our veterans, our elders and our poor, it is good enough for the average Jane and Joe.
Charles Radis, D.O.
Peaks Island
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