Universal healthcare has always been a hot topic in our country. However, recent years have seen much debate about how we should handle the current health care crisis. As health care costs rise and the economy deteriorates, the threat of high medical bills looms over nearly every American citizen. While some politicians favor universal health care or a single-payer insurance system, many others are convinced that it will bring ruin to the country's health care sector. The health care industry is largely responsible for the high cost of care in our country. Politicians must play an active role in either taking control of the abuses perpetrated by this industry or providing an alternative to citizens. Americans currently live in fear of their insurer. In 2010, the CDC reported in its National Health Survey that 18% of our population under the age of 65 is uninsured (1). However, approximately 43% of poor and near-poor adults under age 65 are uninsured (3). The inequality in access to health care for Americans is almost as great as the gap between the rich and the poor. This lack of health coverage seriously affects the mental health of almost all Americans, but particularly those who do not have health coverage. For these citizens, the fear of the next illness is overwhelming. This can result in a small bill from their doctor or result in a diagnosis that can result in astronomical costs. Often, medical bills lead to financial ruin. The mental impact that this apprehension has on a person's well-being is small but persistent. This leads many people to avoid preventative care. This results in a less productive life for the person and ultimately often results in high costs. The United States is the only industrialized nation that lacks a little paper......life and happiness as a country flies by. Davis, C. Schoen, SC Schoenbaum, MM Doty, AL Holmgren, JL Kriss and KK Shea, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care, The Commonwealth Fund, May 2007 Finkelstein A, Taubman S, Wright B et al. The Oregon health insurance experiment: Evidence from the first year. NBER Working Paper no. 17190. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2011. Waterstone, Paul Xavier. The Malsow Pyramid / Hierarchy. Future Times, Vol. 4, 2007: 3-5. United States. CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Health Insurance Coverage: Advance Release of National Health Survey Estimates, 2010. By Robin A. Cohen PhD, Brian W. Ward PhD and Jeannine S. Schiller PhD Atlanta: CDC, 2011. Print.