LETTERS: NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN IS THE ANSWER

To the editor:

It's not surprising, but it's appalling. Virtually each day another fragmented plan concerning health care is launched: another group of doctors offering discount service here, another HMO or managed-care system there, still another hospital-doctor system here and there, another corporate substructure or superstructure somewhere else. And on and on. All of these systems and people offer to make concessions and arrangements allegedly to make health-care delivery better. What a farce.

When it became apparent that addressing growing concerns about the adequacy of the ongoing health-care delivery system, several basic needs surfaced. Among these were simplification, understandability, portability and all-inclusiveness. The present hodgepodge of systems serves only to complicate the situation and lends to increasing confusion. Any and all of these Rube Goldberg contrivances are not meeting the genuine needs and never will.

It is only a matter of time until it will dawn on the American people and leadership to support a national, single-payer health-care delivery system. How long will it take?

GILBERT DEGENHARDT

Cape Girardeau