The health care proposal that passed the Senate contains alarming provisions, especially for women concerned about breast cancer. Last November the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended women do not need to get a mammogram until the age of 50, ten years later than the American Cancer Society’s recommendation of 40, and they do not need annual mammograms at any point in their life. Similarly, the House and Senate versions of health care reform contain an “essential benefits package” that all insurance plans must offer however they do not specify what those benefits are. Instead this task is left up to a group of unelected bureaucrats in the Health and Human Services Department, similar to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force who recommends women delay breast cancer screening.

Watch Patients United Now's new ad featuring Tracy's story, called Saved:

We've been talking about the high costs of government run health care but also its debilitating effect on the quality and accessibility of care to patients.  Yesterday, we were given a reminder from fifty-nine-year-old Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams that this is the case in Canada where they have a single payer, government-run health care system. The Premier is scheduled to undergo heart surgery next week in the U.S. in lieu of waiting for Canada’s system to eventually call his number.

Throughout this debate, Americans have heard all about how our health care system is lacking. The Premier’s upcoming trip underscores the brilliance of our system—something that hasn’t been emphasized enough lately. We have state-of-the-art facilities run by trained and caring professionals who quickly diagnose and treat health problems.

It’s important to remember exactly what we have now before we trade it in for something that might leave us worse off. No one disputes that our system needs improvement. But expecting government to reduce costs while maintaining care is naive and misguided.