--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are…" description: "\"People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are ready for single-payer health insurance.' We are the only industrialized country in the world that does not have ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/studs-terkel-3020_country_people-are-ready-to-say-yes-we-are-ready_2807024.jpg" --- # People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are ready for… ![“People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are ready for single-payer health insurance.' We are the only industrialized country in the world that does not have national health insurance. We are the richest in wealth and the poorest in health of all the industrial nations.” quote by Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/studs-terkel-3020_country_people-are-ready-to-say-yes-we-are-ready_2807024.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/studs-terkel-3020_country_people-are-ready-to-say-yes-we-are-ready_2807024.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/studs-terkel-3020_country_people-are-ready-to-say-yes-we-are-ready_2807024.jpg) > “People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are ready for single-payer health insurance.' We are the only industrialized country in the world that does not have national health insurance. We are the richest in wealth and the poorest in health of all the industrial nations.” [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America lacks national health insurance despite wealth, leading to poor health outcomes. **In simple terms:** Rich but unhealthy due to lack of insurance. Key Takeaway Advocate for universal health coverage. Themes health policy wealth inequality Mood critical motivated hopeful Type political social When to use this quote - public debate - legislative reform - community health - personal advocacy Key Concepts politics social justice economics Questions to Reflect On - Why does wealth not translate to health? - What steps can citizens take? A Different Perspective Political resistance is strong. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health insurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-insurance/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I've been to enough other countries in the world to know what happens when you have socialized single-payer health care. It works. 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Pritzker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-pritzker/) > [“According to a recent report drafted by thirty-nine physicians from the Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) and endorsed by some 2,500 medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/according-to-a-recent-report-drafted-by-thirty-nine-physicians-from/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [National Health Insurance means combining the efficiency of the Postal Service with the compassion of the I.R.S. ... and the cost accounting of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sullivan/national-health-insurance-means-combining-the-efficiency-of-the/) [Louis Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sullivan/) > [The for-profit health insurance industry is the main obstacle to delivering high quality, universal healthcare for all. 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It will be 2,000 pages, and you'll have two hours to read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/i-m-thinking-of-writing-a-book-on-national-health-care-it-will-be-2/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [The launch of the National Health Service in 1948, one of the world's foremost examples of something being decommodified in the interest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sarkar/the-launch-of-the-national-health-service-in-1948-one-of-the-world-s/) [Ash Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sarkar/) > [I am very concerned about the fact that India as a country does not have a national health system, and I am determined to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-mazumdar-shaw/i-am-very-concerned-about-the-fact-that-india-as-a-country-does-not/) [Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-mazumdar-shaw/) > [People come from all over the world - from Europe and further afield - to work, study, and innovate in our country. More than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/people-come-from-all-over-the-world-from-europe-and-further-afield-to/) [Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/) ## More by Studs Terkel > [My epitaph? My epitaph will be, 'Curiosity did not kill this cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/my-epitaph-my-epitaph-will-be-curiosity-did-not-kill-this-cat/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“It was in ’35—we had this campaign to raise a million tax dollars. In the town of Phillips, one evening, during a blizzard, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/it-was-in-35-we-had-this-campaign-to-raise-a-million-tax-dollars-in/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I read somewhere that when a person takes part in community action, his health improves. Something happens to him or to her biologically. 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