Benefits of universal health care

Replacing the Affordable Care Act is receiving lots of attention. I think a few numbers would be pertinent.

Countries in Western Europe along with Canada and Australia all have government regulated universal health coverage. On average they spend 10 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care. For a man the average life expectancy is 79.7 years and for a woman it is 84.2. In contrast, the United States does not have universal health coverage, spends 17 percent of its GDP on health care, and life expectancy for men is 77.3 years and for women it is 81.9.

In the United States, we spend on average about $9,500 per year on health care for each citizen of this country. For a family of four this amounts to $38,000 per year. It is obvious that the typical citizen of this country cannot afford health care without some form of support either from insurance or government assistance.

Universal health care on the European model would be expensive costing about $26,000 per year for a family of four. But while making the population healthier and more productive, this cost is still $12,000 per year less for a family of four than what we presently pay.

A government sponsored single payer health system would not tie a person to their employer. Therefore, it would be easier to change jobs, move to a different city, and less troublesome for a person to start their own business. It's an idea whose time has come.

JOHN PIEPHO, Cape Girardeau