U.S. health care system in dire need of overhaul

The “greatest health-care system in the world” now has 46 million people without health insurance. According to 2009 health data collected by the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development, Americans spend a yearly average of $7,290 per person for health care versus $2,964 in all other OECD countries; $1 of every $3 we spend on health care goes to the private insurance industry!

We have fewer physicians and fewer acute-care hospital beds per capita than most other OECD countries. Our life expectancy is one year less than OECD countries. Our infant mortality rate is 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births versus 4.9 deaths for those countries.

Iowa's working families' insurance premiums have increased 73 percent from 2000-2007. Without competition among Iowa insurers, there is simply no reason to moderate prices. Without additional health insurance choices in the marketplace, we have no alternative and we continue to pay higher premiums for less coverage.

This status quo is no longer acceptable. We must urge our congressional leadership to pass meaningful health care reform, including a publicly administered insurance option, this year.

Richard Oberfoell

Iowa City