"Hell yes!" for universal health care

Hats off to the Kentucky House of Representatives Health and Welfare Committee, which voted earlier this month to urge the U.S. Congress to support legislation sponsored by Rep. John Conyers of Georgia to establish a single-payer, universal health care plan. It was a bold move for a legislature that often seems at war with itself and unable to articulate anything approaching a vision for Kentucky's future. Rep. Kathy Stein of Lexington responded to the roll call vote on the resolution with a "Hell, yes!"

About 15 percent of all Kentuckians are without any health care coverage at all (private insurance or Medicare/Medicaide). Nationwide, over 40 million Americans are in the same boat. And while there is widespread disagreement about how to respond to this crisis, a national consensus is emerging that something must be done. Last year a survey by the Pew Research Center found that 65 percent of Americans now favor some type of national health care program.

I'm not completely sold on a single-payer system. I believe that every person should contribute some amount of financial commitment to the maintenance of his or her health. After all, there should be some incentive for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But a complete lack of health security for millions of Americans in unacceptable. It's time more Americans say "Hell, yes!" for health care justice.