In 1987, Jason Harless, a troubled teenager, was discharged from Horizon Hospital when his insurance ran out. The hospital's records indicated he was only mildly depressed and angry with authority figures. Several weeks later, he shot three teachers, killing one, at Pinellas Park High School. Stories of this type are becoming commonplace occurrences in the United States, and the American people are becoming frustrated over their failing health care system. Their frustration is understandable. While the American health care system is the costliest in the world, spending $2,664 per person a year, the U.S. ranks 12th in the world in life expectancy and 22nd in infant mortality rates. The U.S. spends 171 percent more on health care per person than Great Britain, 88 percent more than West Germany, 124 percent more than Japan, and 38 percent more than Canada. The statistics are discouraging. Even though the U.S. spends over $600 billion a year on health care, we are still lagging far behind most industrialized nations. The cause of this failure could be attributed to two groups; The American Medical Association (AMA) and private insurance companies.

The American Medical Association (the major organization binding most physicians) whose purpose is the improvement of public health, has hindered the advancement of the public's health care for the sake of the almighty dollar. Fearing government involvement in health care will lower the already exuberant incomes of their 271,000 members, the AMA has poured millions of dollars a year into defending the present American health care system. The AMA does this by contributing huge sums of money to politicians feeling the same way they do, thus protecting their immense fees which were gained through their uncontrolled manipulation of the American health care system.

Much of the rest of the huge amounts of money spent in vain on our failing health care system could be attributed to the greed of the private insurance companies. Private insurance companies carry a false facade of total coverage, then pull the blinders off, revealing only partial coverage which they then try to worm their way out of, through endless paperwork and frustrating legalities. Many times, accident victims hire separate companies just to handle the paper- work of the insurance companies. However, many people cannot afford this help and become just another policyholder losing some of the millions of dollars unclaimed each year from insurance companies. This unclaimed money goes right into the overflowing pockets of the wealthy insurance companies.

Even when insurance is claimed, many times the insurance companies refuse to pay. Often in the cases of the terminally ill, insurance companies refuse to pay for possible life-prolonging procedures. Most insurance companies now have Utilization Review Boards that keep careful watch over the cost of health care and the need of medical procedures.

With much evidence of our nation's failing health care insurance policy, public sentiment is swaying toward the idea of a Universal National Health Care Insurance. The United States and South Africa are the only two industrialized nations who do not offer health care for all their citizens. A 1990 Los Angeles Times' poll revealed the peoples' dissatisfaction with the status quo grew when 66 percent of those Americans polled stated that they would prefer a health care system similar to that of Canada.

National health care insurance is not just a hopeful dream, it is a working reality. In a universal national health care system similar to the one in Canada, the government would mandate set fees for different medical procedures. Private insurance would not be needed except for procedures not covered by national health insurance. Doctors' fees would be set by the government, thus curbing the exuberant fees charged by doctors. For example, in Canada, doctors get paid $174 for an appendectomy, where in the U.S. the average appendectomy fee is $846. Also under the system, hospitals would negotiate their budgets with the federal or state government.

In the Canadian version of national health care insurance, the federal government foots the bill. The government uses the money to pay for the health care fees. A Canadian citizen still ends up paying less than 5 percent of this income for health care.

The United States is digging a health care hole which may be its own grave if something doesn't change. Specialized groups are holding a monopoly on the U.S. health care services, and are charging overwhelming fees that are limiting the feasible opportunities for health care and the people are paying the price. The only real choice for the American people is national health care insurance. With the introduction of national health care insurance, America could once again put her people first.

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