Opinion: What kind of healthcare works in other countries? The U.S. should take a look.

To the editor: You can’t repair what is broken. The U.S. spends about twice as much per person on healthcare than other advanced nations and with poorer results. (“The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country — but not with better health outcomes,” July 18)

We need to start over. Study successful healthcare systems such as those in France, Switzerland and Singapore. These hybrids mix government coverage and subsidies with consumer choice; they are not purely “socialistic,” a term we seem to fear.

Create a bipartisan task force and get input from physicians and consumer groups too. If it works in other nations, we can create a U.S. version to work here.

But it will never happen if ego and rigid ideologies declare one side must lose and the other must win. Courageous men and women on both sides of the aisle can do this.

Eileen McDargh Elvins, Dana Point

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To the editor: This article cites troubling statistics that add up to an embarrassing report on the adequacy of our healthcare system in terms of outcomes.

However, there are certainly many other factors affecting longevity (such as obesity and drug addiction) that are at epidemic levels in the U.S. and should also be factored into the analysis.

James Maddox, Los Angeles

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To the editor: This article overlooks the elephant in the room: private insurance companies that consume about 20% of every healthcare dollar.

Two additional reasons for our higher costs that are not mentioned are our failure to reduce drug prices through bulk purchasing and the low ratio of primary care providers to specialists. Primary care physicians decrease costs by coordinating care and providing preventive treatment.

If the government became our insurer, we could cover everyone at a lower cost and have better health outcomes. Thus, if Congress wants to replace Obamacare, it should develop a single-payer system, something that polls now show Americans increasingly support.

Nancy Greep, MD, Los Angeles

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