This summer I viewed a Republican legislative hearing regarding health care on C-Span. A Shona Robertson Holmes - an ordinary woman from Canada - provided testimony regarding how bad health care coverage was in Canada. I wondered why this Republican hearing did not pick me. I could have born testimony of how excellent a medical team treated my youngest son when he was hospitalized while living in Canada. Why didn't this legislative hearing invite Amber Joy Lillbrodt, who waited 19 hours at Parkland Memorial Hospital emergency room in Dallas with a broken leg? What about people who have pre-existing conditions who are denied medical coverage or those people who have had to mortgage their homes to pay for medical services - why were they not asked to share a story at this hearing? Having lived in Iowa for almost 10 years, I have become shocked at the ignorance of good people when a conversation turns to Canadian health care. Usually, they have a friend, who knew a friend, who knew a friend, who knew a friend, who knew someone that had a bad experience with universal health care in Canada. I can visualize them nodding their head in approval, while imagining an old Soviet style health care system in Canada, when Shona Robertson Holmes testified.

The purpose of this opinion piece is to argue in support of President Barack Obama's national health care plan via (1) outlining a philosophical orientation to universal care, and (2) marshaling research evidence which supports the effectiveness of national health care in Canada.

Regardless if a person has caused an illness or not, I hold a moral value that I need to help people in medical need. I think all people have a social responsibility to pay higher taxes to help other people who have medical needs who cannot afford treatment or gain health coverage (it should be noted, however, that President Obama is not suggesting broad tax increases on all people). Extremely shameful, the United States is the only country in the Western world that does not have universal health care coverage for its children and adolescents. I care more about understanding my social responsibility to other - a care ethic - rather than pointing the finger at others and claiming that they need to have greater individual responsibility. Sometimes bad things like losing a job and medical coverage happen to good people. Albeit imperfect, I prefer an altruistic democratic government model when remedying human suffering, not a greater capitalistic model in which people gain greater profit from human suffering. Further, universal health care model lies at the very core of American character that seems to be less and less normative today - people live in communities and consequently have responsibilities that extend beyond themselves.

There is research support that outlines that government universal health care in Canada is equal - and has some additional strengths - to American health care. For example, in 2007 a group of 17 researchers published a systematic review of 38 studies comparing populations of patients in Canada and the United States in the peer-review and independent Open Medicine Journal. The findings of this study concluded that health outcomes are about equal in both countries - with a slight favoring of Canadian health care. Fourteen studies favored Canadian medical services, five favored American medical services, and 19 showed equivalent or mixed results. Further, one of the major advantages to universal health care is that people can go to doctors early so that illnesses are detected early with an acute focus on prevention. Many health experts claim that universal health care is a paramount factor that contributes to Canadians being healthier and living longer than Americans. The key difference is that all Canadians are insured, whereas approximately 46 million Americans are without coverage.

Although I do not like the complexity of President Obama's health care plan (I prefer a single-taxpayer system) and hope taxpayer money is not diverted to certain types of procedures, such as non-life threatening abortions or needless cosmetic surgeries, I support national health care because it is based on a principle of care to other and the Canadian example underscores that it is effective.