Letter: Single-payer health-care system would work better

As hyperbole has become the language of the discussion on the Affordable Care Act, the real solution for our health-care system is being ignored. The answer is a single-payer system where the middleman is eliminated. Fear-mongering has overshadowed the benefits of a single-payer system in favor of supporting the corporate greed of an industry whose sole objective is to rake in profits for their stockholders.

People throw around made-up scenarios to rationalize their fear of the single-payer system. "It's socialism! Just look at Canada where it may take weeks to get a doctor's appointment."

It is just as difficult to get in to see a doctor here in the United States, and that's assuming that you are fortunate enough or rich enough to have health insurance. Otherwise, it's a trip to the emergency room for non-emergency illnesses for which we all pay. Or, if the illness is catastrophic, possible bankruptcy.

Anyone who is on Medicare will tell you that it works very well and is far less costly. And that is what insurance companies, lobbyists and your congressman don't want you to know.

Karlan Douglas

Washington