There is a long thread on "where do you stand on universal healhcare" that prompted lots of interesting replies. Clearly some are "for" and some are "against" universal healthcare--whatever that is.

But there are a couple of problems that remain that everyone agrees need to be addressed. "Everyone" includes Democrats, Republicans, ultra conservatives and flaming liberals. The problems everyone agrees on are...

-- Healthcare in the U.S. is too expensive, and it is getting even more expensive at a rate that is simply not economically sustainable over a relatively short timeframe. Healthcare in the U.S. costs 50% more per capita than any other developed country, and the quality of care is not that much better.

-- Far too many Americans have no form of healthcare insurance whatsoever. For one of the most well-developed countries in the world to have almost 50 million people--almost 20% of it's population--with no form of healthcare insurance is not only unbelievable, but bordering on criminal.

So, presuming that regardless of our political leanings, I'm assuming that everyone here on this forum lines up with their political representatives in recognition of these two problems. The problems cited above are real and need to be addressed.

So, if you were a member of Congress, what sort of plan to address these problems would be acceptable to you? We've heard from our elected representatives ad infinitum in recent days. Their comments range from "these are the general concepts that President Obama wants in any plan passed by Congress" to "xxx makes any healthcare bill a non-starter for our party".

Recognizing the confusion of "the 545" regarding this issue, maybe we can enlighten one another with just a few important points in whatever plan we might find acceptable? Specificity would be helpful.

Let the creativity begin.