I am writing to you on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Here in Vermont we still do not yet have the right to health care even though every other industrialized country recognizes healthcare as a human right. Everyone should be entitled to receive the health care they need when they need it and no one should have to pay more than they can afford. Our health care system functions as a source of income for powerful pharmaceutical, insurance and medical industries while it should be regarded as a public good and serve our needs and our communities needs.
lived in Canada for two and a half years and I can vouch for the Canadian system of health care. Paying a little more tax is much better than paying even more in insurance premiums and then discovering that you have fallen through a loophole when you get sick and want the insurance company to pay. The insurance company profit and red tape which can be eliminated by a single-payer system will more than cover the cost of insuring all of the uninsured.
I urge everyone to attend the "Healthcare Is A Human Right" rally at the Vermont Statehouse, on the first day of the legislative season Jan. 5.
RICHARD JEROLOMAN
Burlington