"I've always supposed that one reason for the interest in national health insurance is that it would allow the failures and liabilities of Medicare to be rolled into a new system and disquised.

Isn't that why the carney man has three walnut shells and one pea?

Seattle Pioneer "

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

There is an interest in national health insurance because:

1) People keep seeing how much costs are rising.
2) People see the difference between what the healthcare providers
charge and what the insurance companies have as an "allowed" or
negotiated price.
3) People worry what will happen if they have to pay for these things
by themselves - if they lose insurance or their jobs or such.

Folks do not recognize that a national health insurance plan
may not reduce their costs in any way without restricting options
choices or availability of healthcare.

Folks always want some way to keep costs in line.
And there are ways that a coordinated approach could reduce costs -
such as 'regional" specialty clinics and the like ---- but this limits
availability. Up to a point folks might like the idea and there may
be benefits - and taken to extremes the approach will restrict
where and whom can receive care plus restrict development of
new healthcare approaches - meds and procedures.

So, the debate is more than "should we" and "how to pay for what?" and
"what to pay for what", and "do we want to even if we can?" but also
"what type of controls do we include to prevent the extremes?"


Howie52