Wyden-Ryan Plan Won't Improve Health Care System

On May 26, 2011, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed our country's first statewide publicly financed health care law providing universal health care to all Vermonters. We should have a similar law in Oregon...

The most significant bipartisan agreement that Sen. Wyden and Rep. Ryan could make is to recognize that health care is not a privilege but a human right. Instead, their plan continues employer-based private insurance to finance health care, which will accelerate the destruction of American's families, America's health and America's future as a civilized nation.

The Wyden-Ryan proposal is misleading and distracts from the best solution. Instead of "defined contribution" plans, let's define for Sen. Wyden what this country needs to save health care: single-payer, universal coverage. "Everybody in, nobody out."