Time for U.S. to create
universal health care

Call it Teddy-Care or “TKC”: “Teddy Kennedy Care.” That is, health care insurance for all; nobody left out, everybody in.

It is time the USA grew up to join the rest of the developed world. Canada, Old Europe, New Europe, Scandinavia and Japan all have comprehensive health care for all of their citizens. The common element in some of these nations, but not here, is that insurance companies cannot make profits providing health insurance. It is time that was the case here as well.

Invoking scary socialism will only spur us on to create the necessary reforms. You tried those hate and fear tactics years ago to defeat Medicare — didn’t work then, and it is not going to work this time. The Obama-haters are obvious hypocrites, hiding their Medicare cards in their wallets while brandishing Republican wing-nut signs.

Since we are not going for full reform by extending Medicare to all U.S. citizens, regardless of age, a marketplace of health care insurance options should be legislated. The options must include a robust public option, nonprofit insurance cooperatives, for-profit health care insurance (which I hope will wither and eventually die) and the ability of individual states to create their own single-payer health care insurance systems.

We owe it to ourselves to get these reforms done this year. It may take years to work everything out. But by starting now, the results will be the moral victory of covering everyone, lowering health care costs, and ultimately improving the health and longevity of individuals, families and, indeed, the entire nation.

Doug Cole, Downers Grove