The following is an article written and reprinted in its entirety by Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent) from Vermont that mirrors my beliefs when it comes to health care reform and the only possible solution.

The United States is the only major nation in the industrialized world that does not guarantee health care as a right to its people. Meanwhile, we spend about twice as much per capita on health care and, in a wide number of instances, our outcomes are not as good as others that spend far less.

It is time that we bring about a fundamental transformation of the American health-care system. It is time for us to end private, for-profit participation in delivering basic coverage. It is time for the United States to provide a Medicare-for-all, single payer health coverage program.

Under our dysfunctional system, 45,000 Americans a year die because they delay seeking care they cannot afford. We spent 17.6% of our GDP on health care in 2009, which is projected to go up to 20% by 2020, yet we still rank 26th among major, developed nations on life expectancy and 31st on infant mortality. We must demand a better model of health coverage that emphasizes preventive and primary care for every single person without regard for their ability to pay.

It is certainly a step forward that the new health reform law is projected to cover 32 million additional Americans, out of the more than 50 million uninsured today. Yet projections suggest that roughly 23 million will still be without insurance in 2019, while health-care costs will continue to skyrocket.

Twenty-three million Americans still without health insurance after health reform is implemented? This is unacceptable. And that is why, this week, Representative Jim McDermott and I are announcing the re-introduction of the American Health Security Act, recognizing health care as a human right and providing every US citizen and permanent resident with health-care coverage and services through a state-administered, single payer program.

Let’s face it: until we put patients over profits, our system will not work for ordinary Americans.

It is incomprehensible that drug companies still get away with charging Americans twice as much, or more, than citizens of Canada or Europe for the exact same drugs manufactured by the exact same companies. It is an outrage that insurers still often hike premiums 20%, 40% and 60% a year on individual policy holders; and some insurers still spend 40 cents of every premium dollar on administration and profits while lavishing multimillion-dollar payouts on their CEOs.

It boggles the mind that approximately 30% of every health-care dollar spent in the United States goes to administrative costs, rather than to delivering care. We must do better. Taiwan, for example, spends only a little over 6% of GDP on health care, while achieving better health outcomes on some key indicators than we do; yet they spend a relative pittance on administrative costs.

I am very proud that my home state of Vermont is now taking big steps to lead the nation in health care by moving forward on a plan to establish a single payer health-care system that puts the interests of patients over chasing profits. The American Health Security Act would make sure every state does the same — taking profits out of the equation by implementing a single-payer system, but letting each state administer its own program, according to strict standards, in a way best suited to its needs.

The goal of real health-care reform must be high-quality, universal coverage in a cost-effective way. We must ensure, to as great a degree as possible, that the money we put into health coverage goes to the delivery of health care, not to paper-pushing, astronomical profits and lining CEOs’ pockets.

Bernie Sanders is the U.S. Senator (I) from Vermont, and the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history. He is a member of the Senate’s Budget, Veterans, Environment, Energy, and H.E.L.P. (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) committees.

The Oath and Law of Hippocrates, sometimes referred to as the Hippocratic Oath, is perhaps the first document outlining what I term as “Responsible Healthcare.” It is the responsibility of the physician, or anyone providing health care to a patient, to administer that care to the best of their ability. To use all of their knowledge, extensive training and education to give quality care and ultimately, do everything in their power to save lives – one life at a time.

So how is the healthcare profession doing with their “oath?” Taken as a whole, are they practicing “responsible healthcare?” Let’s see what some of the statistics have to say. There are always two sides to every statistical coin. Perception isn’t always reality, so stay with me through the stats.

Responsible Healthcare:

1. The U.S. spends 16% of its’ Gross Domestic Product on Healthcare, which is more than any other country in the world.

2. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the U.S. health system 37th among industrialized
nations.

3. According to WHO, U.S. life expectancy ranks 24th in the world.

4. Life extension magazine says that there are 7.5 million unnecessary surgical procedures and 8.9 million unnecessary hospitalizations per year.

5. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), preventable medical error is the 8th leading cause of death in the nation. Some studies show that number to be much higher.

Convinced that the healthcare sky is falling? Let’s take a closer look.

In an article entitled Americans down on the U.S. health-care system by Kirsten Gerencher of MarketWatch, the author concurs that “Americans are fed up with the headaches in their system,” “but” adds Uwe Reinhardt, professor of economic and public affairs at Princeton University, “that's generally not due to the quality of care they receive.”

In the article, Dr. Reinhardt went on to say that “Doctors and nurses routinely hear demoralizing news that U.S. medicine is inferior when the real problem is the way we finance health care and the hassle of claiming insurance," he said.

I think I’ll take Dr. Reinhardt’s example one step further. Let’s take a quick look at those statistics again.

• Statistic #1 is about spending. Americans spend a lot on healthcare – no surprise there.
• Statistic #2 ranks the U.S. healthcare system in general.
• Statistic #3 refers to life expectancy.
• Statistic #4 references “unnecessary surgeries.”
• Statistic #5 references “unnecessary hospitalizations.”
• Statistic #6 discusses “preventable medical error.”

Healthcare Responsibility:

So who’s ultimately responsible for healthcare? As a patient or consumer of healthcare, how many of the statistics above do you think you have an influence over?

Can you shop around for the best care, at an affordable price (Statistic #1)? As per Dr. Reinhardt’s comment, the healthcare “system” doesn’t necessarily refer to the quality of care received (#2).

Do you think that you can have an impact on your own life expectancy (#3)? How about “unnecessary” (recognize that word for what it is) surgeries or hospitalizations (#4 & #5)? And finally, there’s a reason this statistic refers to medical error as “preventable” (#6)!

Yes, malpractice is at an all-time high, but according to an article in the New York Times, “Only a small percentage of doctors account for most of the money paid out in malpractice cases.” The Times cites a 12-year study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) saying that 54% of all malpractice payouts were paid by 5% of the physicians. Do you know what that means? Well, the most obvious is that 5% of the physicians in this country are “repeat offenders.” They’re “bad eggs” in the system. But perhaps not so obvious is the fact that statistically speaking, the majority of the physicians in the U.S. are giving excellent quality care!

As someone who spent the last 15 years in the healthcare field, I know all too well about the “bad docs” out there (the 5%). And yet, my family and friends receive quality healthcare on a consistent basis! Why? Because there are plenty of good doctors, nurses, physicians assistants etc. out there who take their responsibilities seriously. My question to you is, when was the last time you felt a personal responsibility for your own care?

I acknowledge and respect the oath taken by physicians – I don’t discount it in the least. But we should all have our own oath or law stating that we’re going to watch out for ourselves. That we’re going to take an active role in our own care. As we take our personal “healthcare responsibility” seriously, we can turn the tables on the statistics, the perception and even the reality of healthcare in America. Imagine one person at a time, taking personal responsibility for their own healthcare. Can you see how reform happens?

I’m feeling pretty good about my personal “life expectancy” statistic right about now. How about you?