Senator Sanders of Vermont has been compiling letters from constituents within the state and others from around country.

You’ve got to ask: what is it going to take to get a new health-care system?. Do we have to bankrupt the entire country?

How about we take a look at a couple of these stories for the next couple days.

I am originally from Canada and see the effects of the American system’s failures every day. I’ve had great care from my employer, but at a direct cost to me and my employer that, combined, is close to ten times what my employer paid on my behalf back in Alberta. I can’t stress enough how the worries about healthcare in the US shape the everyday lives of Americans and American business in ways that Canadians can’t even truly comprehend. Not having to worry about the financial costs of getting sick or going to your doctor or whether or not you can “afford” to change jobs or start your own business is something Canadians experience without even knowing it. Imagine how much capital would be freed up if companies and individuals didn’t spend so much of their money covering the basic costs of healthcare. This myth about the US having the best or even one of the better healthcare systems in the world doesn’t stand up to scrutiny for even a moment if you’ve experienced the systems of another country. The US could do much, much better and be an example for the world of how to do things right rather than the prime example of how best to do things horribly ineffectively. I am quite happy living in Vermont, but I know that if anyone in my family got seriously ill we’d quickly be headed back across the border for good.
Paul,
South Burlington, Vt.

Update: They have placed all of the stories in a downloadable brochure.