Presidential candidate Ralph Nader (I) on Thursday criticized the U.S.'s two-party political system, which he says has been beholden to corporate interests that are preventing residents from accessing health care through a universal health care system, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Nader, who is on the ballot in about 20 states, "heaped criticism on the health care industry," citing an Institute of Medicine study that found that 18,000 U.S. residents die annually because they are uninsured. Nader said, "Once we have a low expectation of the political system and what it should deliver, (the corporation's) work is done" (Gehrke, Salt Lake Tribune, 8/1).
Nader on Wednesday posted an online video highlighting his proposal for a single-payer, Canadian-style health care system. In the video, Nader calls the plans by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) "pay or die" plans because they would continue the current commercially based system (Rhee, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 7/30).
Editorial, Opinion Piece
Two newspapers recently published an editorial and an opinion piece about health care issues in the presidential election. Summaries appear below.