Like most other things, healthcare's become privatized, is now Big Business...and Big Business has a bad habit of 'powderizing' the poor in its' quest for more income. Such is the nature of the beast, and once upon a time it was thought a worthy concept to have basically 'free' public healthcare to prevent the wonders of modern medicine from being confined solely to the wealthy who had private physicians etc. Thus, 'hospitals' were born, where people in need could seek medical care, regardless of income. A roll-back of this general idea seems to be in effect. Elitism's always been an issue, and it's in full force these days...

I think that the idea of having individual medical savings accounts is a superlative idea. I think rather than 'health insurance' there should be health savings accounts,
one state, I think it's Massachusetts, has now made it a law(correct me if I'm wrong on this, but that's what I thought I read) that you WILL contribute to an individual medical savings plan through payroll deduction. Not a shabby idea.
If everyone pays in, everyone's got SOMETHING in there, so when that car wreck or that fall down the stairs etc finally does happen, there's something to start with to help defray YOUR medical expenses. If everyone pays, there's also a disincentive to fart around and use our healthcare system frivolously.

I think there should also be some realism in our healthcare system, as well as better law enforcement. I think the immigration aspect of rising healthcare costs needs to be addressed openly and publicly, and that there should be a moratorium on accepting people into our medical system that aren't even US citizens, because failing to enforce that concept acts like a magnet.

I had to go to an emergency room a few years ago, knocked a hole in my head and I was bleeding all over the place, nothing critical, but I needed stitches. They sent me a bill. I paid the bill. They sent me a refund. I cashed it.
They sent me ANOTHER bill. I paid it. Nothing followed. Then, 3 years later I run my credit report, turns out they sent me ANOTHER bill for 40 bucks, which I never got. Got a black mark on my credit for it, though. I'm all for seeing the healthcare system audited on a 6-month basis, and providers of medical supplies being looked at under a magnifying glass.
Don't believe the hype, demand public accountability, and ask that your representatives be very, um,
direct, in dealing with the medical services industry.
Healthcare can be a racket, too, unless there's oversight.
How much is YOUR grandmother worth? Hmmm....

> Perhaps we'll return back to the good old days when poor patients were left to die in parking lots.

Why not? It worked in New Orleans.