I won't argue that we don't have the best hospitals, doctors, etc.

We also have the most expensive - and it's rare when we, as a population, need "the best". In the overwhelming majority of cases "pretty damn good" will do quite nicely. But, like a gun, I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Still, nobody has defended the points I raised.

Yes, other people come here - WHEN THEY HAVE THE MONEY.

But why does the same ORDINARY set of procedures cost me $600 in Montreal yet cost THOUSANDS here at home? ..and I'm a 4 hour drive from the Canadian border.

Why do drugs cost ORDER OF MAGNITUDE more here than in other countries?

Why, in other countries, is there no such thing as "medical bankruptcy"? Why is that strictly an American phenomenon?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - YOU ARE NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES' FIRST ALLEGIANCE - their STATED CHARTER IS TO MAKE MONEY FOR THEIR STOCKHOLDERS. What was unheard of 20 years ago is increasingly commonplace - denying coverage when someone 'becomes unprofitable'.

Now I'll ask you, Yoda and Cashman, if you suddenly found yourself kicked off your insurance plan, what would YOU do for health care? ...and mind you, if that happens, it happens at a time when you NEED care and trying to go elsewhere is fruitless because of "pre-existing conditions".

Me? I'm covered pretty well. Working for a defense contractor means I have a decent plan. But there's no telling what *could* happen. My fiancee isn't covered and she's on medication that keeps getting increasingly expensive.

Over the years, I've been pretty lucky. I've had a broken bone here and there, was born with bilateral club feet that were corrected, had a vasectomy and gall bladder surgery and that pretty much covers most every extended health-care situation I've had to deal with in my life. My kids are another story. One "normal' birth that cost several thousand dollars in 1987 and one that cost who-knows-how much in 1992 (all I know is that it most likely went into 6 figures) because of defensive medicine (we never found out what was wrong, it cleared up on it's own and our daughter has been healthy for the ensuing 17 years).

Not one person has defended the outrageous costs. Not one has defended the federal control of the supply of doctors.

This stuff has needed fixing since the 1980s. the problem have only compounded themselves. People talk about a 'government takeover of 1/6 of the economy' and are justifiably scared of it.

WHY THE HECK IS IT ONE-SIXTH OF THE ECONOMY??? IS THAT RIGHT????

We get all up in arms over a billion-dollar political boondoggle (pick any out there) but let a MULTI-TRILLION DOLLAR one have a free pass!

At the very least, where's the outrage over not getting what we're paying for?