>
> I try to avoid these off topic discussions, but I have to throw in my two
> cents worth here...
>
> The US already has a National Health Care System, a private / goverment /
> no care system. It is the most expensive, most inefficient, and most
> unfair in the developed world. If our current National Health Care System
> had the best care, I suppose it could be excused, but by most measures, it
> is a failure. We have the highest death rate among babies in the developed
> world, we have the lowest life expectancies in the developed world, and we
> have the highest percentage of uncovered people in the developed world.
>
> If you are very rich or running an insurance compnay our current National
> Health Care System is terrific. If you are very poor, you probably can get
> treatment for injuries but no preventive care. If you are in the middle,
> you are paying through the nose for mediocre care.
>
> I often hear people rant about how they don't want government burecrats
> making health care choices for them. OK I can see this, but a lot of these
> same people are willing to let Health Insurance Industry Burecrats make
> those decisions for them. I fail to see the difference. If anything, I'd
> rather have governement burecrats making the decisions.
>
> I often hear people rant that they don't want the government rationing
> health care, but many of these same people have their care rationed by the
> Heath Insurance Industry.
>
> I often hear people rant that they don't want the government imposing new
> taxes but these same people are paying directly (or indirectly through
> their employers) extremely high premiums for mediocre care.
>
> I have a hard time understanding all the outrage against a goverment
> administered National Health Care System. I can't see it being any worse
> that our Current Government / Insurance Industry / Drug Company dominated
> system. Do you really think the people running Blue Cross / Blue Shield;
> Cigna; GSK, etc., etc. have your best intrest at heart?

You make some good points. The problem I have with a government run health
care system is...if it comes to that, there will be no individual choice
left. Right now, the private insurance companies are terrible. But they
are held (slightly) in check by the fact that there are more than one of
them. That is, they have to "compete", at least to a certain degree. Once
the government takes over, there is no need to "compete", and those in
charge of the new government run cluster-**** can be as evil as they want
to, as they don't answer to anybody anymore. While it's hard to imagine
that healthcare could be "worse" in the United States, it is GUARANTEED to
get worse (and a LOT worse) if the government gets involved at all. -Dave