Meanwhile, the health insurance industry continues to lobby to protect their position and profits, while the system they've created continues to disenfranchise more and more people in this country every year.

I would be remiss if I did not talk about single mothers in this scenario.

I spoke to such a woman whose yearly income is $18,000/yearly, but because her ex-husband had insurance that covered little if anything, her 2 children did not qualify for schip.

She went to her state representative who gave her poor advice: To ask her ex-husband to drop his insurance, wait 90 days, and reapply to schip, not taking into account that her ex-husband was court mandated to have such insurance.

Consequently, her out-of-pocket medical expenses continue to mount because of a system that allows too many single mothers to fall through the cracks.

In sharp contrast, a health care system which includes full and unlimited medical, dental, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, home nursing, mental health, optical, substance abuse, hospice, long-term care, emergency transport, physical and occupational therapy, will free all of us to make full contributions to our families and to society.

Malpractice, another overwhelming stress contributed to a health care system in crisis, will fade.

America will be able to compete in the Global Economy.

The stressors I have described will vanish.

HB 1660 has the singular capacity to bring the haves and have nots together for a common cause that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and America desperately need.

By having a Civilized Medical System in place, as Chuck Pennacchio calls it, we can serve our population of patients with a clear conscience.

These are the greatest gifts of all.

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