To the Editor:

Re “ ‘Medicare for All’ Is No Miracle Cure,” by Lanhee J. Chen and Micah Weinberg (Op-Ed, Sept. 19):

Yes, our superior resources allow for those with means to survive some killer diseases, but the concept of universal health care surely is to wrap all citizens in the comfort of a carefree safety net whatever their financial status. How can we tear down other nations’ systems when our population ranks 31st in life expectancy according to the World Health Organization?

It is true that every system has its faults and needs improvement, but we are in an excellent position to learn from, adapt and build upon peer countries’ health practices and maybe overtake Costa Rica into that 30th place.

JOHN R. WISDOM, HARTSDALE, N.Y.

To the Editor:

The writers correctly point out that there are many ways to achieve universal health care and that a “single payer” system is actually the exception and not the rule, as many Americans seem to assume. What they neglect to point out about the many permutations of health insurance systems around the world is that the private health insurance companies are largely nonprofit. This detail, often overlooked in discussions of this topic, is why “Medicare for All” may be the only practical solution for achieving universal coverage in America.

Given the enormous size of our private for-profit health insurance sector, and the overwhelming influence of money in our political system, the chances that insurance companies could be forced into nonprofit status are extremely remote. This leaves us with some sort of single-payer as the only viable option if we are to truly achieve universal coverage.