The single-payer approach to health care reform is the only one that will give us affordability and freedom. Every developed country has such a national health care plan except the U.S. Such a plan would allow each of us to see any private doctor or use any private hospital we would choose. It is extraordinarily inefficient to have 1,000 private health insurance companies, each with its own rules, making decisions about what is covered, who you can see, and how payment for medical expenses will be made. And each of these companies has extraordinarily highly paid executives -- money that could be going to providing healthcare -- with one making $122 million last year and with the head of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana making over $600,000 last year, according to a recent article in the IR.

In response to the Missoulian's editorial that took Sen. Baucus to task for not championing or even providing a seat at his hearings to the single-payer approach to health care reform, Max wrote, "Many people believe that there is only one way to achieve health care reform. And while I appreciate their passion, this is just not practical. If we draw a line in the sand and say, 'it's this or nothing at all,' we will get nothing at all."

Sen. Baucus, political leadership involves discovering what is the best approach to solving a problem and then having the courage to lead the fight for this best approach.

Jonathan Matthews

1601 N. Benton Ave.