Steven Begakis’ article (Obama’s Health Plan Ignores Human Nature, May 13, 2009) was an interesting read but is flawed in one very crucial way: Mr. Begakis’s argument revolved around the notion that America holds “superiority” with our “market-based system.” How exactly is it superior to a public health system? Do we have a higher life expectancy, shorter wait times or lower infant mortality rates? Maybe we pay less per capita for our healthcare?

Unfortunately, none of these are the case. Americans today not only spend more money (per capita and as a percentage of GDP) than any other country in the world, they also get a service that is on par with, or sometimes even inferior to, a public health system.

Now, I’m all for free market, but compared to the rest of the world, we get a crappier service while paying more than everyone else. Unfortunately, I do not exactly know what will come from the health care policies that the Obama administration is trying to implement, but the current system is in no way superior to the many public health care systems around the world.