Everyone Deserves Health Insurance

For the United States to regain its moral stature in the world, we must quit waging illegal wars and instead act like every other advanced democracy by providing universal health care for all our citizens. 44 million Americans and 1.3 million Ohioans lack access to health insurance. In the 21 other western industrialized democracies, the figure is zero.

That’s why in my gubernatorial campaign, I support the Single Payer Action Network (SPAN) initiative to bring single-payer health insurance to Ohio. Single-payer means that one fund, administered by a non-profit government agency accountable to the public (not shareholders) would make payment for all medical services.

By creating universal health care, we would not be socializing medicine. Doctors and hospitals would operate on their own. By covering all Ohioans, we would become a more productive state and a state with a much better business environment. Additionally, I would allow state funds to be used for cities and towns in Ohio to issue bonds to create democratically and locally-controlled health care clinics, and money would go to subsidize doctors to set up practices in communities that are currently underserved.

SPAN will cover everyone with insurance. My Ohio plan will make sure that every town has a health care facility and access to a doctor.

It’s “Cover the Uninsured Week,” and the SPAN website promotes the Ohio rally: “SPAN Ohio is coordinating a rally in Columbus on the grounds of the State Capitol on Saturday, MAY 6, 2006 to focus attention on the plight of the uninsured and to urge the Ohio General Assembly to act without delay to pass legislation providing health care coverage for all Ohioans. The rally will run from Noon to 2 p.m. at the Veterans Plaza on the Third Street side of the Statehouse.”

For more information, see http://covertheuninsured.org/ and http://www.spanohio.org/