The news about the state of our republic is very bad. Congress is for sale to the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Our health care system is broken. Insurance companies make money by denying health care to citizens.

Nearly 46 million Americans have no health care and another 40 million are under-insured. Most Americans are one illness away from financial ruin. 18,000 Americans die every year because they have no health insurance.

Americans spend more per person on health care than any other people in the world, have the most expensive health care system in the world yet the United States is ranked 37th in the world for health system performance by the World Health Organization.

As a member of Congress, Gary Murrell would vote for House Resolution 676 which would establish a universal health care system for the United States, a single-payer system that would provide enhanced Medicare for everyone. The system would be publicly financed health care, privately delivered, that would put people and their doctors back in control of the system. Unlike the current for-profit system, single payer health care coverage will be complete: encourage preventative measures, provide prescription drugs, dental care, mental health care and eye care. With a single payer, universal system, health care would follow one's citizenship and not depend on one's job.

Gary Murrell will say yes to universal health care. Why do the Democrats currently in Congress refuse to do so? Most are bought and paid for by the obscene profits that now go to for for-profit system.