[Aloha1]

Originally Posted by skarra

Gee, I came from a country with FREE healthcare (Australia). Great system, no forever bills coming in the mail - swipe your Medicare card once at time of service and you were done. Plus taxes are not much different than they are here, and 30 years later they still soldier on with it even though many claim it can't last.

My relative got a hip replacement a couple of years ago - ZERO cost, no bills in the mail, no insurance companies to deal with. Now if you want your choice of hospital with a private room (vs a shared room), and with your own doctor, you can supplement the government provided coverage with your own private insurance. But it is optional - some people get it just for the better food in the private hospitals.

I've no idea why people in this country fear a single payer system, or healthcare coverage for all. Wouldn't we all lead happier lives if healthcare costs were taken out of the equation? No need to worry about pre-existing conditions. And if you asked me is the healthcare provided better here - I'd say no difference at all. In fact, if I had a major illness I wish I could return home just so I wouldn't face potential financial ruin.

All my aging friends back in my home country constantly remind me of how happy they are with the medical system there. I lived my first 30 years there with their health coverage system, and now 30 years here with ours - trust me that our system sucks and I much prefer what they have there. No reason why we can't do something similar here.

Here's a big reason: 25 million Aussies versus 330 million Yanks. Easy to do for the former, not so easy for 1,300 percent more people.