Has anyone considered that the system in the U.S. is a For Profit system? I think that one of the reasons for all the diffficulty (e.g. higher premiums if everyone one is insured) is the large profit margin the insurance providers glean off the top, as well as the large profit margin that hospitals attempt to make. Inclusive healthcare only works if it is placed outside the capitalist system (I believe capitalism is great, by the way). For example, 30-45 % of all insurance premiums don't pay for a single facett of your healthcare; it goes to paying employees at the insurance provider, Management, infrastructure cost, legal representation, finally, shareholders (you and me). Hospitals are largely the same, although the infrastructure and staff costs are ofcourse neccessary.
In a nutshell, and just for the sake of argument, if you elliminated just the insurance providers from the equation and used some of the redundant government staff to manage premiums and care, you could all cut your premiums by the corresponding amount usually taken by the insurance providers. All that, and you could still have privately run (read: competitive) hospitals that assure fast, high quality care. To make one furthur teensy tiny adjustment, have the federal government limit its' involvement in healthcare to an overseers role; administering a basic outline for healthcare that has an inclusive set of rules insuring fairness for all, such as a healthcare bill of rights. Then, put the burden of administering the actual health care on the individual states, so that care can match demographics, tax revenue, etc... The deductible now paid by patients could be turned into a small ($20.00), waivable based on income, user fee to help cover off costs.
The perfect system. Maybe Obamacare is just the first of many small steps for man...
