Their big bankrolls

Our elected federal legislators should be working to get real health insurance reform. So far, it doesn't look good. It looks like the vested interests, namely big health insurance and big pharma, are having their way. They're bankrolling mob pressure against any meaningful change, and they've got the "Gang of Six," led by Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, batting around in a wet paper bag unable to do anything at all.

In fact, I heard Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, say: "We've got a good health-care system." What? What country is Sen. Grassley living in? Canada maybe, where they do have a good health-care system? Meanwhile, Sen. Kent Conrad, a Democrat on Sen. Baucus' committee, is proposing a health-care co-op system. Please.

What we need is a system that will serve everyone and will save money in the long run. Single-payer health insurance does both. Our legislators need to work vigorously to educate their constituencies about the facts of single-payer. There has not been enough information because everyone is so frightened of what the well-funded noise machine will do.

Let's urge our senators and representatives to break out of the mold and bring us a real solution to our overpriced, ineffective and corrupt health insurance system.

NORA JOHNSON
Squirrel Hill