Dear Judges,

As I scanned the Sunday paper several months ago, I came across a small article that introduced me to this contest. The article was no more than two paragraphs long a briefly described the contest and the goals behind it. At first I didn't even conceive attempting such a lofty goal, but after thinking about the disarray of the health care system in the United States and the benefits that such a contest could discover, I did some research into the contest and realized that this is something that I should attempt. I feel as though I should apologize right now for the lack of details regarding some aspects of my proposal as well as the overall size of my paper. I have run into difficulties in the last several months and have not been able to give this project my full attention. Disclaimers aside, I feel as though my proposed health care system would cure many of the problems that result from the current health care system.

The American health care system is in need of a cure. The costs of health care continue to escalate as more and more people are unable to access needed medical care because of financial barriers. The total amount of dollars spent on the health care system continues to rise year after year and may reach as much as 20 percent of this nations Gross Domestic Product in the near future if nothing is done. Regulation of the entire health care system is needed and fast.

I propose establishing a two-tiered health care system, with the first tier a single payer system for basic health care needs available to all citizens, and the second tier a multi-payer system that would provide extended coverage for those services not offered in the basic plan and would be optional for everyone. An Independent Regulatory Commission, the Health Commission, should be established to establish economic regulations toward health care system. A federal purchasing alliance should also be created for everything from medical equipment to pharmaceuticals and could provide enormous savings. The health care system would be developed by the Health Commission and then administered by existing federal and state health agencies.

Something needs to be done to ensure that the American health care system doesn't implode. Most other industrialized nations around the world offer health care to all of their citizens. Several studies have concluded that the United States ranks far lower in different health indicators than these other industrialized nations. A hybrid Single Payer system may just be the antidote that cures our health care system. I have enclosed my proposal and hope to defend my ideas in the near future.

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