I disagree, the health care is far superior to any other system which is why it reflects a larger portion of GDP. I will admit reform especially on malpractice is probably necessary but a government ran/sponsored program is a recipe for disaster. Why would we trust the US Government with more of our money?

They run such great programs like Medicare and even their subsidies suck money such as Amtrack/USPS. There is absolutely no way this system would work with more efficiency than cutting grass with a pair of scissors. The federal government has many challenges when it comes to the management of programs. Obviously privatization would be necessary as the government doesn't have the capability to run a national health care program. I just don't see any value in their regulation and control of services. It will be abused just like the rest of their social programs that prove no ROI. I know it's sad that people don't have health care, but they should be more resourceful and get a quality job. Even McDonalds offers health care. There's no excuse to not have health care and I don't think tax payers should flip the bill for free-riders, we do that too often. I couldn't imagine the cost of free-riding health care.

I'd be open to free annual check-ups, but that's about it.

Sorry about the grammar, my browser wasn't showing all of the  message. Couldn't see what I was typing.

I am generally in agreement with you with a few exceptions.     Illegal aliens should not be included. What we do to handle that

Sorry connection problems. What we do about the illegals is another problem. The other exception which is thorny would be self created illnesses as a result of alcoholism and drug addiction.           Otherwise you are right on. If I have to be content with a 42 inch TV screen so that someone is able to have health coverage so be it.

Affordable education to all is the key. Well informed populace will be happier, produce more, and be able to afford health services that are competitively offered. Give a person a fish- he has a fish, teach a person to fish-has has all the fish he needs. Universal education is the real need.

Kidsfund, Isn't 12 years for free enough? Look what Bill Gates did with high school diploma.
I don't believe our health care system is broken. My deductible is $5K and everything above that has to be approved by the insurance company. I don't want the government in there approving too. The government needs to do a better job with what it has, Medicaid, Medicare and the V.A. are a mess. In fact everything the government does is a mess. My 2 cents.

Certainly there are a few exception. As unemployment reaches 10%
see who looses and keeps their jobs. Computer engineers are not losing their jobs. Also, what educational level is most healthy. I am not a fan of government providing more of anything. This is the land of opportunity, not the land of entitlement. If we are going to spend massive amounts of money, lets spend it on something that would help the entire society and improve a host issues, like health, crime, and alcoholism and drug abuse. Education can improve all of that. There arn't many Rush Limbaughs and Bill Gates out there. But average people with a good education will make much wiser decisions and be a positive on society.

I agree with many people here... It will be abused and the money we "put" into the system won't be actually used for the system. Just like social security tax doesn't have to be directly used for social security... all it would take is an act of congress to approval utilizing the "public option tax" or whatever they come up with for the words for anything from paying social security to buying guns. They know this and this isn't new. Liberal ideology has been trying to grab ahold of socialized health care for over 100 years, it is a power grab plain and simple. We were told to accept social security it was for the poor and those lest fortunate... we complained but accepted. We were told it wasn't enough and we must have medicare and medicaid. We were then told it wasn't enough for just health care for hospitals but now we need to have socialized perscription medicine was now covered by medicare (yes bush supported that and the liberals loved it). Now we are saying that isn't enough and every person in the america has a right to have a public option for medical coverage as the blogger puts it. You think it will stop there??? You think the line will be drawn now and we will FINALLY have the utopia because everyone is covered? Stop with the lies... once they do that they will eventually move on and make it like the UK or Canada (which the blogger to his credit didn't mention) where it is horriable and people wait 6 months for a CT scan and medicine is rationed to the young first and people come here for their medicine and it is illegal (for Canada at least) to have private insurance. After that then we move on to expanding social security and like another person above said... education. Once the government takes control of your medicine it now have life or death over you and you now enter into a new close relationship that you can't get out of even if you want, everything else is on the table and only the rich and rulling class (politicians) will be unaffected.

Read animal farm people... we are not exempt from it happening here!

Computer Engineers and electrical engineers are indeed losing their jobs.  I don't know where you got that.  Silicon Valley just layed off a bunch of people, so I am here correcting that comment.  Healthcare for all is not feasible in my opinion.  It does not solve the problem.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/health/main4527996.shtml
Hawaii is ending its Universal Child Health Care Program only 7 months after its inception.  They are blaming the fact that people were dropping their insurance to take advantage (among other things). I (as an uninsured member of society) think we should have a universal health care program but do I want the government to screw it up and waste my tax dollars?
Also: zecco and safari 4 don't get along very well, this text box cuts off chunks of text from visibility...

Our health care system is broken.  Plain and simple.  45 million Americans without insurance and hence no healthcare coverage...how can anyone with any type of heart think that's a good thing?  Universal coverage is 100% needed just as it is used in every other "first world" country.  In terms of how to implement it, that is definitely up for discussion.  I think the government should foot the bill for those that cannot afford it on their own...just take all the money we spend in Iraq and bam, free insurance for all!  I think that's a much  better use of our tax dollars than bombing a bunch of innocent people on the other side of the planet.

Now, the big question is, do we make it a government run program?  Or have government subsidies to the existing insurance companies?  Both have their merits and faults but one thing that must be done is that people with pre-existing conditions should NOT be discriminated against.  Is it fair if someone is born with some disease that they should have to suffer because they don't have a job that covers them in a group plan to get them health insurance?

Also, for the one comment made on "get a better job", give me a break!  Not everyone wants to work in an office or something like that.  What if you run your own business or work for a small company that can't afford health insurance for its employees?  What if you are an artisit or musician?  What if you're unemployed because our economy is a disaster right now?  

It's simple...all Americans have a right to healthcare coverage because it is the RIGHT thing to do.  Some people need to just not be selfish about this topic and help out your fellow human beings.

We already have universal health care. If someone goes to the emergency room, they have to be treated regardless of whether they can pay or not. If they can't pay, the taxpayers end up footing the bill. It's cheaper to pay for preventative care than for an emergency room visit by far. People should wise up and recognize that universal health care makes tons of economic sense. It's cheaper to employ assembly line workers in Canada, because the companies don't have to pay for health insurance.

It will be wasteful ? Well then how do Japan, Germany, Austria  and Sweden manage it? They are all have great standards of living and deliver better health care for less money. The delivery problems have been solved, the only obstacle are the insurance companies who are desperate not to lose their cash cows. My aunt in Germany had breast cancer and got great treatment with no delays, while my grandfather her in the US had to wait 6 months for a knee replacement. Ask people living in Canada about their health care. Not a single one would trade it. They never have to wait for urgent care.  

The people commenting against universal health care have clearly never dealt with a chronic condition that prevents you
from being covered. I know diabetics that can't start their own businesses because they need the group health insurance their office job provides.  I know a women who can't leave the state to take advantage of a full academic scholarship because her current HMO won't cover her there and no other insurance will pick her up due to her chronic condition.

The US is supposed to be about competition and choice, but there is no choice in health coverage for many people. If they are employed, they are forced to take their employers health care plan,
if they are unemployed or self employed, they can easily get priced out of the market. Insurance companies admitted to Congress
this week that they drop people for their insurance who get seriously ill. Diabetics, transplant patients,cancer survivors, all have practically no chance of getting insurance of their own.
People who are unemployed and uninsured and then get hit by an uninsured driver, are out easily $30,000 that they can't afford.

As far as 'getting a better job'
Insurance companies are pushing up premiums every year at twice the rate of inflation or more, so fewer businesses can afford the same type of health care they used to if at all.
And isn't it funny, then when you are so sick that you can't work , that's the time that you lose your job and therefore your employer based health coverage.

People need to start thinking stop listening to idiot talk show hosts

    I think health care should be decided by your boss. If you do not work do you deserve to have healthcare?  Why should others foot your tab, its expensive enough to bail out corporations that made mistakes let alone the individual that losses their job.  I am a true republican and if I lose my job then I and my family suffer why should I impose my suffering on the public at large.  Obviously I am being synical.  
    For decades, I have often debated the benefits of Universal Healthcare and found it funny that people potentially most helped by Universal Healthcare are often against it due to their ignorance and or political affiliation.  
 Finally a few elites are thinking and not posturing, maybe they are self actualizing and looking beyond greed?
  We all need to operate on a little logic, humbleness and reason.  Not greed, political affiliation and due to superficial sound bites.      Just a thought, as I sit here in afghanistan,
                 Dave K

Apologize for the message above got a little garbled and lost some punctuation.  Will copy and paste from another program for now on.

If you look at the current health care plan numbers from the CBO they say this play would only net about 12 million new insured and it would cost US about $68,000 per person.  The numbers dont add up.  There are a number of people that have access to insurance but the think they dont need it.  

One other problem is the cost of insurance.  I work for a company and have their insurance but have the pay the full boat about 900.00 per month.  My son has type 1 Diebetes and I tried to shop for a independent plan and got turn down everywhere.  Know matter what I do I have to have employer insurance to cover him. With deductables and medicine I pay over 15000.00 a year for health care which is about 33% of our gross family income.  How can our goverment help me and give me the same care I get now.  I would most likly be one of those who would switch for employer insurance to goverment program if it save me money and I could get a supplimental program to cover any elective the goverment would not allow when a doctor says it needs to be done and the goverment says it could not be done under this program or within a reasonable time  

No on any form of government tax funded healthcare:  people who don't have it can suffer.  Just don't blame it on health care please, it is government who got us here in the first place and government is only the answer in as much as they can bring safely a privitized system of healthcare with wise checks and balaances for the current system of medicaid and medicare which would not imped the develoment of new technology and extra expenditures the rich are willing to pay for driving up costs but also driving up life saving drugs and techniques.   Anything other is absolutely a joke on unprincipled minds who actually believe the crooked politicians who got us here telling them over and over that the healthcare system is broken; what an absolute joke;  i spit on this insidious stupidity.   Now i'm worked up, i'll diverge a spat;  Analagous is Katrina well fare "victims" crying for governemnt aid.   When i was eight years old i remembered clearly the report warned that the levy was weak and could break.   i always thought with kid like common sense, I'll avoid this flood danger or risk it knowing i'll be responsible for the consequences.   People  of our Government please hold them accountable; minimum support and incentives to get them out of the flood zone and build their life elseware or no future help to those who stay.  WEll maybe not the answer now, but this should have been the clear warning so that when it finally happened, everyone else could have looked the other way in peace.   Now were all on the hook for government's lack of leadership.   Now we're doing the same for healthcare, and this is totally a classic codependent move by democrats who want votes and weak republicans who've lost themselves in an insane hippy controlled world where good is bad and bad is cloaked in white wool. AAHHGGGGGHHH!!

And George washington warned us in his final inaugural address that we must avoid pining after europes' backward ways and elitest control of their populations.   They are more defined cultures which do not represent our diverse demographics.  We have way to many freeloaders from abroad and here now (wasn't always so, i attest) who taught locals how to use there own system abusively.   Indeed, the enemy of our own culture are those who never assimilated to the great USA culture of old, slowly turning international in scope and God help us all.

u sure u wanna use sweden as an shining example for burdening taxpayers with the horrors of bureucrat bumbling?  

u are profiting from a free supply and demand oriented economy yet u call for more goverment interferece. i not only disagree i dont much care to have u making money from me.

dam i was liking zecco. i wont buy a product from an anti-capitalist ceo. crap u r an idiot. omg unbeliveable u thought it was a good idea to to comment with socialist propaganda or give the appearance of it. u r so dumb

i am movin to tradeking.

i disagree with Jeroen Veth, CEO of Zecco Holdings, Inc.
i think he sounds like someone who doesn't see the stinking
rot in Europe, where people are a commodity.  and put on hold
as if their cell phone company was putting them thru phone hell,
in order to see a specialist.  

the great thing about our current social welfare medicine of
medicaid is that the doctors can't be sued for providing mandatory
stabilization of patients.  so if something goes wrong while
delivering a baby, they can't sue the doctor, because the state
paid for it, they didn't.

there is a little sarcasm in the last paragraph, but some seriousness
too.  

if you want the government to put you in a line like the dmv, and
you think that socialism/communism doesn't swing an axe at the
tree where the american dream is still going.  stifling innovation
by people who think that anything can be free.  

nothing is free.  

what they really mean is parasitic.  

the true way to phrase universal healthcare is "you make more money
than me.  you should give me the money you made because i want it."

i think that
Jeroen Veth, CEO of Zecco Holdings, Inc
should give me half the difference of our 2 salaries, because he
makes more than me.  If not, he is a hypocrite, and doesn't really
beleive in UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE, because in the end, saying he beleives in it is saying he should fork over his money to me.

Michael Schreiber
p.s. call me Jeroen, you have my phone number in my Zecco account.

ditto truckrp97 . Every CEO I've ever met was a butt kissing
moron and this guy is no exception.

I don't think access to health insurance should be a basic right, I I think access to health care should be.  I believe insurance companies are the major problem with the health care system in the USA.

Gary

Seems anyone that has ever had a major or serious medical condition realizes the system is biased for the insurance companies. Those that are relatively healthy, think that the system is fine in private hands. But so many people throw out vague general statements like "the waste of the government will doom universal health", or "we have the best health care in the world", or It will financially break us".  Statements of that nature are invariably from those that are against  any governmental regulation or intervention. Merely throwing vague and alarmist statements around does not make an argument, and further, tends to undercut the author's credibility and understanding of the issue.  

3 facts stand out to me: 1.  We pay twice as much as the rest of the advanced world on health care.   2.  Almost 15% of America has no health insurance and that number is quickly rising.  3. Employers are paying monies for health insurance that the rest of the world doesn't have to - that puts our companies at a disadvantage.

I haven't read one argument that makes a case against universal health - even US senators have yet to accomplish that without vague generalities that don't stand the test of logic and reason.

I agree with you Mr. Big

The first and foremost principle of America is FREEDOM.

There are very many other worthy and admirable principles/ideals however FREEDOM is and should be the first and foundational principle of America, and should never be sold out for any interest, principle or ideal, no matter how laudable that interest, principle or idea it may be.

Here is the problem with socialized medicine (or for that matter socialized ANYTHING):

FREEDOM is traded for guaranteed health care or guaranteed <fill in the blank admirable principle/ideal>

How???

Here's how:

Things are not free – the fact is that people cannot be forced to work (nor should they be) and therefore nothing is free even if it "sounds like it". In the end taxpayers (look in the mirror) end up paying the bill for it (along with an obligatory added effective “tax” for the  standard inefficiency, incompetence and corruption that goes along with any government run program).

With a so-called “universal health system”, by definition, all citizens and businesses would be mandated to participate in some form.  Some may argue that is it for “your own good” or that it is for “the greater good”. But being mandated to pay into a system that one does not choose and that one does not have any direct control over the price of, that runs counter to the higher principle of freedom.  

The problem with “universal coverage” is that it must necessarily involve mandates at some level, and the government carries a very big stick to enforce such mandates – having government enforce such mandates directly reduces the freedom of the citizenry.  

So one is left with the question – is it worth a sacrifice in freedom to achieve “universal health insurance coverage”??? My answer is a resounding NO, as freedom should never be sold out for anything. The universal health care model is kind of like giving your own personal credit card to government officials then you trust them to run up whatever medical bill they want to run up (which will of course be driven by political considerations, not necessarily your best economic interests) – then those same government officials will have the power to determine how much of that bill on your personal credit card you will be held liable for, and that determination can vary and change over time depending on how much money you make, or whatever whimsical criteria they come up with!!!! Can you say “tyranny” anyone???

That would be a truly nightmarish situation.

Furthermore, the track history of government running public trust programs is terrible the say the least (more like criminal if you ask me) – take one of the most glaring examples: the social security system is projected to go bankrupt because congress could not leave the surplus untouched (you know, the massive surpluses that were generated back when those baby boomers were actually in their prime and producing more revenue than they were taking).  Now when those baby boomers need the money - - - oops, crisis - - - “sorry folks it was a pay as you go system – we did not use the funds for social security”… and there is no one that goes to jail for this?  This would make even Bernie Madoff blush!!

Now, these are the same politic-driven government clowns we want to hand over the reins to, to establish a massive overtaking of the health care industry???

HELL NO!!!!

HHHHHELLLLLLLLLL NO!!!!!!

Wake up people – this is nothing more than a power grab and a way of increasing net government revenue.  We are taxed enough as it is – if the income tax and the alternative minimum tax and myriad other tax enactment history are any indication, the concept of “only the rich paying for it” will soon inflate itself into huge swaths of ordinary middle-class people (look in the mirror) paying a mandatory additional monthly bill to the government for this program – did I say mandatory? and if you don’t like the programs or the rates or how the program is run or how the services are administered or any other aspects of it – TOUGH! Its not like Blue Cross Blue Shield where you or your employer could just quit it and go to another company or self-insure or decide you just want to pay out of pocket, or simply make a conscious decision that you will simply let nature run its course if you cannot afford care (did I forget to say that participation in a “universal system” will be mandatory?)

Common ground:

I agree that we DO need to change the health care industry.  We DO need to take the profit motive out of the private health insurance industry - I would love nothing more than to see the health insurance industry put out of business (by the open free market).  However, the GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE OUT OF IT!!!  This should not be government run.

Here are some common sense principles:

#1: Money spent on the healthcare industry should go to actual health care providers, not insurance company executives, or for-profit insurance company shareholders. That money should go to health care providers and institutions.  The system we have today is totally upside down: (i) health insurance companies seek to maximize profits by seeking to minimize the amount of the healthcare dollars that they give to healthcare providers for services rendered (and this is money for healthcare which they have actually already received folk), and (ii) health insurance companies very actively discriminate against people that have pre-existing conditions so that if you are sick it is very difficult for you to participate in the health care marketplace.  So the goal of the primary payers of healthcare is not to provide the best healthcare to their clients, but rather to maximize profits for the insurance company shareholders – that is a perverse system.

#2:  One key principle of this would be that wherever possible, THE PEOPLE THAT USE SERVICES SHOULD BE THE ONES THAT PAY FOR IT.  We should move to a system that allows universal access for those that want medical care, rather than a system of universal entitlement.

#3:  Medical providers should be allowed to develop indemnity contracts where the maximum they can be sued for is the recovery of money paid to them for their service, if they provide a medical service and the outcome desired is not the outcome that resulted, unless it can be proven that the medical provider acted with intentional malice.  Massive tort reform is in order and would go a far way towards reducing healthcare costs.

#4:  Unfunded mandates and regulations on the healthcare industry should be eased. Government should play much more of an advisory, public interest announcement forum role, instead of a role focused on the creation and enforcement of unfunded mandates.  Let the marketplace decide what is appropriate medical care, standards, and credentials. That would go a far way to increasing the supply of medical providers and would also lower costs.

#5:  The interests of health care providers should be aligned with the interests of the health of the general public. This can be accomplished very effectively by adopting the following two approaches: (i) health care compensation structure should be geared towards rewarding prevention where most doctors are paid based on keeping people healthy rather than on in relation to how often they provide treatment to sick people – that provides a perverse incentive for doctors to not want everyone to be well as that would drive them out of business in the current healthcare model that we operate under, and (ii) health care compensation structure should be geared towards providing greater rewards for positive health outcomes when treatment is actually provided; for example, if cancer treatment is provided and the patient dies anyway, perhaps the doctor should be paid only 20 – 30% of what they would be paid if cancer treatment is provided and the patient survives remission-free for X number of years.

Those six common-sense objective can be accomplished by allowing private voluntary pools of people (mutual associations) to join together and finance only the costs of actual medical expenses in their pool. A DEFINED administrative cost would be assessed for running this (so this would essentially be a "non-profit" private structure), and the administrators would be actual health care providers.  The administrative cost should be sufficient to pay core base salaries even if no one gets sick, and should cover core base services with reasonable and affordable co-payments if people do get sick. Competition amongst groups of doctors should keep prices low.  Those administrators can then themselves form associations for specialized services for those non-core non-basic acute cases and so on and so forth.

For example assume the defined administrative cost of the mutual association is a mere $15 a month per covered person, and no one in the mutual association used any medical service for that month, then everyone pays that minimum fee.  Now, if medical service is used by a member of that mutual association, then the unpaid cost is spread out over the membership for that month.  However the person that used the service has an effective loan in the form of an increased tax rate (capped to some maximum) whereby they must pay it back with interest.

The interest charged would be a non-profit driven rate sufficient to cover those that die before paying off their bills, or those who are unemployed. Those who simply choose to not be part of such a mutual cooperation can simply choose to pay out of pocket, rely on charity or choose to by default let nature take its course.

Such a system would be freedom oriented, and guarantee near universal access

Just a quick note here. I think the main problem is the mismanagement of the already free or discounted programs offered by big brother, ie; medicaid, medicare & VA benefits.  I know for a fact the  majority of people getting FREE health care with medicaid overuse and abuse the system.  If one kid is sick, they take all 5 to the DR. to get seen, demand unnecessary x-rays and tests that Dr.'s order to  CYA from lawsuits.  I could go on, but if you give someone something for free, they expect everything for free.

I totally agree with Jeroen Veth, like me he was brought up in a European country, and has experianced the benefits of what it can give. i know that the USA will never attain socialised medicine with availability for all any time soon, in the UK we did this after the War, so how far behind are the USA??

If you do not like the Government run system, you can always take out you own private insurance, which is also inexpensive, because the National Health Service is good.

In Europe you do not see all those commericials for drugs on tv, because if you need drugs your doctor will prescribe them for you, and they will be inexpensive if not free.

Many Americans have this adverse view of socialised healthcare in Europe, but after experiancing it for 35 years in the UK i can say that it beats the US system hands down.

In the USA healthcare is top quality for those that can afford it, which is only a small percentage of the population.

Americans are in denial about their healthcare, and so many other aspects of social benefits.

I respectfully disagree. Your argument takes the same tone as the one used at the turn of the century to talk the American people into supporting the Federal Reserve System. If the Fed is any indication of what will happen to health care, I sure hope it doesn't pass. It would mean a 90+% decline in the value of health care. The problem, as I see it, is that there is already too much government interference in health care and just about everything else. The answer to this and many of our outher problems is freedom. People must be free to wreck their bodies and suffer the consequences. Free to have children they can't afford and free to watch them suffer b/c of their poor choices. The individuals must be free to help others to the extent that they feel necessary. I have several friends who are doctors and they estimate that about 85% of their patients ailments could be cured with diet changes and exercise. No pill, govt. mandate, or theft of my money will make someone put down the krispy kremes(sp) and go for a walk. Theft is wrong is morally wrong in every culture until a government legitimizes it.

I sure hope they allow me to opt out of it. If not I guess I'll just have pay cash to my doctor friends for excellent health care.
In liberty,
Herm

I say the best policy now and always is to stay healthy. Excercise and Eat right. Many illnesses can be prevented. My husband and I are currently uninsured but luckily our four kids did qualify for medicaid. I don't use their medicaid unless they get really sick or or split their heads open which 3 out of 4 of them had done. So I am not consuming taxpayers dollars on unecessary trips to the doctor for common colds. My husband only makes $2000 am month and i am a stay at home mom. We really can't afford the health insurance from his job. They want $300 a month for just two of us and if we were to insure our whole family it would be over $800 dollars a month , my husband only makes $2000! imagine paying almost half your salary to health insurance. I called up my medicaid worker and asked her today if my kids would loose their medicaid if my husband and i found private catastrophic insurance for just us and she said it would be no problem. so i am shopping around for catastrophic insurance for my husband and i and are leaving the kids in medicaid. i hope to find something for $100 a month because basically we are healthy and don't go to the doctor but i would like something in case we get hit by a car tomorrow. I think government run insurance could work if done right. hopefully if it passes they will do it right otherwise god help us all.  

I can add an update to my previous post because for the first time i have had to use the US private healthcare system for a lump i have on my right tonsil.

In the UK i would have gone to my GP and the wait time would have been 3-4 days for non serious complaints, he would have looked in throat and referred me to an ENT specialist for further evaluation, ENT would schedule surgery and this would all be done in a 2 week period.

Cost to me would be zero, no co-pays, no pricey pescription charges and followup with my GP are free.

In the USA i went to Facey Medical (Private) urgent care, waited 3 hours, then saw doctor for 45 seconds and was charged a $15 copay and referred to ENT specialist 2 weeks later, again another $15 copay, ENT specialist referred me for surgery in 3 weeks, had to see my primary care doctor for pre-op assessment, again another $15 co-pay.

You get my point here, its medical care with a nickel % dime culture.

I like the NHS in the UK, everyone got treated, and it was quick, simple and no hidden costs, and if i ever thought this system was not adequate i could take out my own private insurance for a very low cost.

Its all about choices, and in the USA if you are low income you only have 2 choices, either suffering, death or medical debt, that's really a decision i would rather not have to make.

Enjoy your 4th July and all the Independance you feel you have gained.  

I have a sister in law from the UK and she hates our health system also. she wants to go back to england where it is all free. I can't  blame her. I used to get free govt. healthcare when i lived in california under medical but when i moved to another state i lost it. medical is no frills medicine but it works and where i come from 90% of the population had it. And i don't feel that california's problems come from many people on medical but from sheer greed on all levels of society.

I think some of the problems with our health care numbers become much more visible when you look at the priorities of the citizens of the US.  

For example,

The age group that is least likely to have insurance is the young adult demographic.  Among 18 to 24 year olds, the NCHC says that 28.1% of this demographic does not have insurance.  

What do you think the percentage of young adults with a cell phone is?  How about an Ipod or computer?  When I graduated high school 5 years ago, my senior class had 83% ownership.  I taught in the High School setting last year and would probably put that number closer to 90% now.  I'm not entirely sure if either scenario is indicative of the "average Joe" ownership of this country, but if it's anywhere close, it shows that we can afford at least half of the cost of a decent health care plan (assuming a $60 Cell phone bill and BCBS's $120 HMO plan) but choose not to.  

I am not saying that the current system isn't broken, but I am part of a demographic that has priorities in the wrong place and nobody seems to take it into consideration.  

I think the fastest way to make health care cheaper is to end taxes on all medication immediately.  Another suggestion would be to cap the money potentially earned by malpractice suits.  These numbers are arbitrarily pulled out of thin air anyways and there is no way to prove that a mistake made by a doctor leads to the amount of damage that some people try to extort from the system.  

Jeroen

I am disappointed in your view of health care and thinking Europe’s solution is right for America.  I am surprised you did not from an alliance with Michael Moore and call for us to adopted Cuba’s heath system.  Okay enough with ideology; let’s get on to what is really wrong with our current system and how to fix it.

Insurance and not lack of it is the number one reason for sky rocketing health care cost. Back when I was a child my parents did not have heath insurance they had Hospital Insurance.  Insurance was something you only used for a major medical event.  Now with the introduction of HMO’s the insurance company pays all our medical bills. And we see the effect in ever rising insurance premiums and co-pays.

The simple fix to health care cost is to roll back the clock to way things were before HMO’s.  You go to the doctor you pay for the office visit; you need a prescription you pay for it out of pocket. If your pharmacy wants you to come back they are going to give you the best price possible.

Come on people thing about it, you don’t turn in a claim to your Auto Insurance Company for an oil change or new set of tires. And what do you think that 20 dollar oil change would cost if your insurance company was paying for it?

Now back to ideology; this proposed government take over of health care is not about helping us. It is all about controlling us. On this Independence Day weekend, let’s not forget what this county was founded on and against. Can there be any doubt if they were live today were the likes of John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin would side on this issue.

Healthcare is a problem that needs fixing, let’s pray the cure Congress is prepared to force down our throats does not kill the patient

Medicaid and Medicare are a mess because the health care system on the whole is a mess. As a matter of fact, Medicaid and Medicare have controlled costs better on the whole than private healthcare has. So given that the government is currently outperforming the market, why wouldn't we want a public option for everyone? I received medical care once while I was studying abroad in Germany, and the quality of care is as good if not better there.

Right on! You are absolutely, positively correct!

WTF!  I was going to open an account with Zecco (I just signed up today) but they sure as hell aren't getting my money now.  It is only 50k out of a 1.7 million dollar portfolio but it isn't going to a bunch of idiot socialists.

Health Care is expensive here because it is excellent and cutting edge.  Other countries keep their costs down by rationing their care and not using the latest technologies.  They dole out care based on political considerations rather than economic ones. This is borne out by the fact that they DIE at much higher rates than US patients do from the same diseases.  Even their much acclaimed advantage in infant mortality rates is bogus since the methodology used to measure it isn't the same. They use the US for their R&D for techniques and technology.

Medicare and medicaid keep their costs down by underpaying and pushing the costs off on other patients.  There are a lot of doctors who don't accept Medicare or Medicaid patients anymore because they can't get paid enough to reimburse their costs.  It is a completely unsustainable model and that doesn't even take into account the fact that that both of those programs are flat broke and spending the next generation's money.  

My buddy just moved to France and he is aghast at the standard of care there.  He broke a bone and had to wait 30 days to get it set.  By then it had knitted together incorrectly and the doctor said since it was no longer broken he didn't need treatment.  He worked in health care here and said he wouldn't even trust the French clinics to take his blood pressure properly.  

But more than that, it is impossible to trust your money to a company that has no idea why things cost what they do.  Whoever penned the blurb above doesn't have the slightest idea what the laws of supply and demand are or what the consequences are when you try to game them.  Having the government run health care will not change the cost of any particular service or device.  That isn't in the government's power.  They can create shortages or surpluses by over or under paying or by trying to fix prices.  They can drive everyone out of the industry as they have done overseas.  They can create bubbles in the health care industry just like they did in the mortgage industry by paying for services for people who cannot pay for it themselves as if the bill will never come due (or as if they have a monopoly on force and run the printing presses).  But they CANNOT improve the health care system in any way shape or form other than by getting the hell out of the way and undoing the damage they have already done with their infernal and incessant meddling.

We already have a government that is unsustainable with just the liabilities it already has on the books and now we want to add health care to the list?  In the middle of a recession?  When we are already flat busted broke?  It's daft.  It's idiotic and it is unacceptable for anyone running a brokerage firm to advocate for it and still be trusted with anyone's money.  I think this country has had a psychotic break with reality.  

I will say it once again.  This type of magical thinking is not acceptable in anyone trusted with handling other people's money.