Single-payer plan is best

Atop last Sunday's "Health care reform" Perspectives page: "Here is a sampling of articles and commentary from a variety of sources regarding the health-care reform effort." Yet none of the articles list the positives of single-payer health care.

If we had a single-payer health-care system, we would still be able to choose our doctors and procedures. President Obama is insisting on this freedom to choose. Most readers have private insurance their jobs, and that's what limits doctors and procedures.

Why are people so scared of socialized care? The countries that have it spend less and are healthier. I wish our neighbors who are losing jobs and insurance had a public plan to rely on, as opposed to worrying about bankruptcy if someone falls ill. I would rather pay a little more in taxes toward a plan that helps everybody versus paying unscrupulous insurance companies a higher amount. It's interesting to me to see all these compassionate conservatives not stepping up to offer the same.

Statewide, Republicans have done nothing to help restore the coverage that Gov. Matt Blunt callously removed from the disabled and poor. Republicans act like government can't help anyone, while they try as hard as they can to prove it.

So how can we pay for health care for all? How about we start by cutting the salaries of our elected officials?

JOHN HELLER, Columbia, Mo.