To the editor:

As a Rhode Islander and a practicing physician for more than 30 years, I urge everyone to vote for Bernie Sanders for president. He is the only candidate advocating eliminating our current broken system of multiple health insurance companies and replacing it with “single payer.” To learn more about single payer, go to www.pnhp.org.

We are the only industrialized country in the world that fails to guarantee health care for all its citizens under a single-payer system. Why? Because private insurance companies and big pharma have spent and continue to spend millions to block single payer. They helped write the federal Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), which cannot control rising costs, nor prevent shrinking networks of available providers and coverage. Despite their recent efforts to appear to provide health care, the primary function of insurance companies is to ration and limit actual health care in order to maximize their own profits.

The idea that we should be satisfied with incremental steps and continue working with for-profit corporations is morally indefensible. Fully implemented, the ACA will still leave 4 percent of Rhode Islanders without insurance — resulting in as many as 116 Rhode Islanders dying unnecessarily from lack of insurance each year. Under-insurance causes even more suffering and death. Most insured people remain just one accident or medical crisis away from bankruptcy.

The U.S. spends roughly twice as much per capita for health care as any other industrialized country and yet, this does not buy us better health care. The major reason is that about one-third of every dollar that goes into the private insurance system is spent on administrative costs, not actual delivery of care. The U.S. ranks 19th in health care outcomes (e.g., survival rates for chronic illnesses). All of the countries that rank ahead of the U.S. have a single payer program and pay a fraction of our overhead costs.

Between 1991 and 2014, health care spending in RI per person rose by over 250 percent — rising much faster than — greatly reducing our disposable income. Employers, especially small businesses, are crippled by health insurance costs. Any higher taxes to pay for single payer will be more than offset by eliminating sky-rocketing insurance premiums, copays and deductibles. Under single payer, Individuals and families will save thousands of dollars per year.

Bernie Sanders is the only candidate who will stand up to the corporate powers blocking single payer. Vote for affordable, comprehensive, universal health care. Vote for Bernie Sanders on April 26 and Nov. 8.

J. Mark Ryan

155 Adams Drive

Portsmouth