I live in Canada which has a single payer universal healthcare system. While it has its problems with regard to aging infrastructure, wait times for some elective surgery and doctor shortages in some areas, I am very satisfied with the system overall. The general population in Canada is healthier because visits to doctors and treatments don't cost anything except in taxes. This makes preventative as well as curative health care available and accessible to all. Within Canada healthcare varies somewhat from province to province because of the funding structure. I think some European countries have done it better, and I would encourage those designing a new system for the US to take the best of several systems, but public funding and universality are fundamental. Catherine Kingston