Universal health care

The U. S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance, according to the World Health Organization's World Health Report 2000.

"The United States spends more than twice as much on health care as the average of other developed nations, all of which boast universal coverage. Yet over 39 million Americans have no health insurance whatsoever, and most others are underinsured, in the sense that they lack adequate coverage for all contingencies (e.g., long-term care and prescription drug costs). However, other systems that are completely or partially based on social risk-pooling principles are under threat from neoliberal policies worldwide.

Why is the U. S. so different? The short answer is that the U.S. is alone in treating health care as a commodity distributed according to the ability to pay, rather than as a social service to be distributed according to medical need."

The leading advocate for a single-payer national health insurance system in the US has been Physicians for a National Health Program whose website has a basic primer on it.

American Health Security Act of 2009
A bill introduced in the US Senate by Senator Bernie Sanders that would create a single payer health care system, essentially the Senate counterpart to H.R 676.

2009 Bill Information
H.R.676 is legislation introduced that if enacted, "establishes the United States National Health Care (USNHC) Program to provide all individuals residing in the United States and U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, dental services, and vision care." 

2006 Bill Information
Healthcare-NOW! endorses the United States National Health Care Act, H.R.676, an "Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Bill", that was introduced February 2, 2005, in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman John Conyers, Jr., co-sponsored by Dennis Kucinich, Jim McDermott, and Donna Christensen. On April 4, 2005, the bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Health. See the full list of co-sponsors as of July 2006 here.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * 110th United States Congress/Articles & Commentary
 * Citizens' Health Care Working Group
 * Coalition for Health Insurance Choices
 * Healthcare-NOW!
 * Hillary Rodham Clinton
 * Wendell Potter

Websites

 * Physicians for a National Health Program: "A single issue organization advocating a universal, comprehensive Single-Payer National Health Program. PNHP has more than 10,000 members and chapters across the United States."
 * Physicians Working Group for Single-Payer National Health Insurance website.

Articles & Commentary

 * Matthew Daly, "Senator Wants Universal Health Care Plan. Oregon Sen. Wyden proposes new plan for universal health insurance coverage," Associated Press (CBS News), December 13, 2006. re Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden
 * Jonathan Cohn, "Universal health care: The road begins here. Stand and Deliver," The New Republic Online, December 15, 2006.
 * Interview: "Time to 'Try' a Woman in White House, Clinton Says," Morning Edition/NPR, December 19, 2006: "The U.S., the 'richest nation in the world,' must have 'quality, affordable, accessible health care available to every American'..."
 * David Limbaugh, "Universal health care: Is the unthinkable now thinkable?" Townhall.com, December 22, 2006.
 * Jane Zhang, "Children Take Forefront of Health-Care Plan. Democrats' Push Carries Appeal In the Face of Bipartisan Concern Over Budget Constraints," Wall Street Journal Online, December 30, 2006.
 * Morra Aarons, "Our broken health care system," blogher, January 1, 2007.
 * Larry Margasak, "Edwards Pushing Universal Health Care," Associated Press (ABC News), January 1, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "Insurance Company Must Pay $10 Million For Revoking Policy of Teen with HIV," Huffington Post, Sept. 17, 2009.
 * John Stauber, Obama and HCAN Marginalize Single Payer, PRWatch.org, March 17, 2009.
 * Ryan Chuttum, "Reuters is Excellent in Digging Up Insurer's Tactics," Columbia Journalism Review, March 17, 2010.
 * Paul Krugman, "Demons and Demonization," the New York Times, March 17, 2010.