In his recent address at the University of New England, Sen. Bernie Sanders said we have the most expensive health care system in the world but not the best outcomes. To improve, we need to appreciate the social and economic costs of care not given and accept our community obligation to address the basic health care needs of all.

The costs of care not given are immeasurable. Quality prenatal and postnatal care has been shown to decrease the incidence of child abuse, increase vaccination rates, and help ensure that developmental milestones are reached. Access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for parents is critical to the health of the entire family. The cost of managing the results of substance abuse or chronic homelessness can be traced to a lack of access to treatment.

Universal access to primary care would reduce long-term costs by, for example, keeping prediabetes from developing into diabetes or controlling blood pressure before a stroke occurs or kidney disease develops. Prevention or early treatment are far less costly than dealing with a full-blown medical crisis.

A recent study conducted at Yale showed that a universal health care plan like Sen. Sanders’ Medicare for All would reduce the national health care expenditure by 13.1%, or $458 billion annually, compared with the status quo. And this does not include the savings in the social costs of care not given that I have outlined. Universal health care is affordable, and the time for it is now.

Susan Henderson, RN 
South Portland