Hallelujah, and thank you for the excellent editorial Aug. 1, “Colo. shooting shows inequity in health care.” It is a shame that it takes such a tragedy to get the issue onto the editorial page.

The fact that the U.S. spends more on heath care than any other nation by a huge margin, has far from the best outcomes, and fails to provide even minimal coverage for nearly 20 percent of our citizens is a scandal. The Affordable Care Act is far from a perfect position but it at least attempts to address those issues.

As suggested in your editorial, a critical flaw in the current system is the linkage of health security and employment security, at least for the under-65 set. Lose your job; lose your coverage, and good luck being able to afford to fund your own coverage, if you can find it.

I agree with the many conservative voices in America — repeal Obamacare. However, at the same time, true health care reform must be passed that addresses access, cost and quality issues.

I note that Great Britain celebrated the success of its national health plan during the opening of the Olympics. And Mitt Romney recently extolled the virtues of Israel’s universal health plan.

Isn’t it time the U.S. emulates those successes and embraces its own single-payer, universal health system?

Kelly Breazeale, Greenwood, Mass.

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