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There are few issues so hotly debated amongst the American public than healthcare, and it’s easy to see why: healthcare affects literally every single human being living in the United States. As a result, there exist millions of distinct positions on how to improve the way Americans access care, and arguments on the subject typically reach a fever pitch.

The tone and ferocity of these discussions can make it exceedingly difficult to cut through the hyperbole and examine the real facts of the matter. However, stepping away from rhetoric and taking a closer look at data is just what we need to do if we are going to have a productive discussion about healthcare that can reach both sides of the aisle and help key players work towards an acceptable compromise for all Americans.

The word “compromise” is of particular importance when it comes to healthcare. You’ve heard the old adage: “if you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one”? It applies here. Because healthcare affects everybody, there is no way to arrange it so that every single person is totally satisfied. The sheer range of different priorities and positions makes that an impossibility. Instead, we need to find ways to raise the level of discourse and bring down the

level of bombast. Facilitating a balanced and objective discussion about the issue is the only way our nation can hope to make meaningful changes that will result in the greatest good for the greatest number.

One of the most contentious areas of the raging healthcare debate in the United States surrounds the topic of the Affordable Care Act. Many on the right are vehemently opposed to the ACA because they see it as a step towards a single-payer system, while many on the left argue that it does not go far enough and is poorly organized. Although few people on either side of the issue are aware, both sides are correct in a certain sense. Let me explain:

Single-payer systems work in countries like Canada, where citizens pay higher taxes and the government can allocate more resources for providing essential public services. While larger or more complicated procedures can sometimes be difficult to access without spending some time on a waiting list, both simple care and time-sensitive life-threatening conditions are almost always accessible when patients need them. The success of universal healthcare in such countries has many people across the United States reluctant to let go of the ACA since they see it as being the most meaningful step by our country towards such a system thus far. The problem is that the Affordable Care Act is not tantamount to universal care. In fact, it lacks several provisions that a functioning single-payer system would require—provisions that parts of this country would find very difficult to provide.