Sixty years ago, President Harry Truman was a man ahead of his times. According to Jill Quadagno’s “One Nation, Uninsured,” he wanted to give all Americans universal healthcare. Truman had the solid support of 75% of the country. Despite that, Truman’s effort was thwarted by the American Medical Association and by bigoted southern legislators who feared it would eliminate segregated medical facilities.

The lack of universal healthcare is one of the great shames of this country. It marks us as the only Western industrialized nation not to guarantee health benefits to its citizens. That distinction has its consequences, most recently demonstrated by the death of a 12-year-old homeless Maryland boy from an infection caused by an abscessed tooth. Deamonte Driver’s all-too-preventable death should have been a wakeup call to politicians that the lack of universal healthcare is a serious matter.

Instead, Congressmembers and Maryland state legislators are going the feel-good route. In the name of Deamonte Driver, they’re pouring more money into a broken system. Maryland legislators are proposing to give a mere $2 million to clinics around the state that provide dental care for those who can’t afford it. Meanwhile, Congress wants to distribute $40 million to health centers and departments throughout the country for dental care to poor children. It’s not enough.

The National Center on Family Homelessness reports that over 8 million people in America are without housing. About 1.3 million of them are children. Over 45 million Americans are without any form of health insurance. An additional 32 million have inadequate coverage. Uninsured children routinely go without treatment for serious illnesses such as asthma.

According to “The Moral Hazard Myth” in the New Yorker (August 29, 2005): Americans spend $5,267 annually for healthcare. For those in nations with universal coverage, it’s only $2,193. Our country also shells out more per capita on healthcare administration and paperwork: $1,000 vs. $300 in Canada, for instance.

And what do we get for our outrageously expensive care? Our life expectancy is lower than in Europe. Infant mortality rates are much higher. Doctors here perform more expensive operations and with greater frequently. They have less access to modern MRI and CRT equipment than their counterparts in the other industrialized nations.

A recent Harvard Study shows that half of all Americans who go bankrupt, do so because of medical bills. Three-quarters of those folks actually have health insurance.

The George Bush plan for universal healthcare is a joke. In a nutshell: Tax our employee health benefits and give tax credit to those who purchase their own from private insurers.

Employers will have every motivation to drop coverage for employees to avoid being taxed on their plans. Left to buy on their own, most Americans will end up with inferior coverage. The poor will supposedly be covered through the taxes the rest of us pay on our insurance.

As with many other issues, Bush is way out of sync with the will of the American people. According to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, 62% support single-payer universal healthcare.

After six decades, it’s time for Bush and Congress to finally listen to the will of the people.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a radical, southern Italian, working-class queer performer, activist and writer whose work can be seen at www.avicollimecca.com.