Our current healthcare system is not only broken; it is in crisis.

The problems with our current system are numerous. Recently Rand Corporation found that 60% of the care delivered in the United States in sub-standard. This study included some of the best hospitals to be found in this country.

There are other major problems:

• There is great inefficiency in the present healthcare system.
• California has over 1500 insurance plans.
• With a major portion of health dollars going to "administration" costs, including large executive salaries, commissions, and stockholder dividends, fewer dollars actually go to health care.

• 7 million Californians are uninsured. Millions more are underinsured
• Costs are rising for premiums, co-pays, and deductibles for less coverage.
• People have fewer choices.
• Hospitals, emergency rooms and trauma centers are closing.
• Half of personal bankruptcies are caused by medical bills.
• For-profit managed care maximizes profit (not our health) and rations care.
• Lack of insurance is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.

• World Health Organization ranked the U.S. health care system 37th in the world for quality and 55th for fairness.
• The United States is the only industrialized country that does not have universal health care.