I watched a terrific program on our health care situation the other night. T.R. Reid examined on a Frontline program, Sick Around the World, what five nations have done to give universal health care to the citizens of each of these countries. Could the US learn anything from these capitalistic countries on how to make health care work for every citizen?

Here is a very brief excerpt from an on-line interview done for the program:

.. Is the quality of medical care as good in America as it is in other developed countries?

Reinhardt: The studies I have seen, done mainly by the Commonwealth Fund, where they actually look at particular procedures or particular illnesses and see how they get treated, you get a mixed [signal]. On some we are the best, and on some we are low in the ranking. But what did not come out, what I actually had hoped or thought would happen, is that we're the best in every dimension, given how much we spend. ...

Cheng: I'd like to just say this about quality of care in America. ... I think Americans should know that we spend by far the most on health care, by a long shot, compared to any other country, but in terms of the quality of care, that only 55 percent of the time do Americans receive the appropriate care. This was a finding by an award-winning study by the Rand Corporation, Beth McGlynn, published in the New England Journal of Medicine two years ago, whether this care is preventive care or acute care or chronic care, any type of care.

Anyone who thinks health care is at, or near the very top, of our social issue ladder should view this content and this program. It is not a biased presentation offering a defined point of view in response to a saturated commercial message, which was one of the main complaints registerd against Michael Moore's Sicko.

I also urge you to consider our candidates. Not on some preconceived party loyalist platform of pablum, but on what each stands for regarding this issue. Who will give the American people the dignity of health care for everyone regardless of social position? Who will put people before class and profits? Please check on the facts and sources when you obtain critical information. Health care is not a liberal conspiracy or a conservative wedge issue. It should be a basic human right. Here is a comparison of the three candidates from the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation's health08 website.

Here's to your good health!