When will the United States Congress pass a comprehensive national health care plan?

Just look at how well Congress has handled the educational system and the economy. Do we really need these people handling our health care also? Also even in Canada they are allowing private insurance and private doctors again since their system is in such a mess.

Finally, I have made sure that I have had health coverage even between jobs and I found a way to make the payments. So to say that it is the government's fault for an individual choice is just plain wrong.

There's too much money being made with the health care system we now have in place. Basically, if one is lucky enough to have a job then in most cases they also have access to health care insurance. If you don't work, you basically have no health care and the status quo remains that way because the lobbyist have bought and sold our political leaders at their beck and call !

I feel anyone over 65 with at least 25 years of work history should receive free medical and dental as well as medicines with a small co=pay of no more than $20. Of course people know the older we get the more we are reliant upon meds and medical care which means dollars ! The almighty dollar is put above one's health !

The U.S. spends twice as much as other industrialized nations on health care, $7,129 per capita. Yet our system performs poorly in comparison and still leaves 47 million without health coverage and millions more inadequately covered.

This is because private insurance bureaucracy and paperwork consume one-third (31 percent) of every health care dollar. Streamlining payment through a single nonprofit payer would save more than $350 billion per year, enough to provide comprehensive, high-quality coverage for all Americans. Yet no one sees this as an issue !

We need a single-payer health care system ! Single-payer national health insurance is a system in which a single public or quasi-public agency organizes health financing, but delivery of care remains largely private.

The reason we spend more and get less than the rest of the world is because we have a patchwork system of for-profit payers. Private insurers necessarily waste health dollars on things that have nothing to do with care: overhead, underwriting, billing, sales and marketing departments as well as huge profits and exorbitant executive pay. Doctors and hospitals must maintain costly administrative staffs to deal with the bureaucracy. Combined, this needless administration consumes one-third (31 percent) of Americans’ health dollars.

Single-payer financing is the only way to recapture this wasted money. The potential savings on paperwork, more than $350 billion per year, are enough to provide comprehensive coverage to everyone without paying any more than we already do.

Under a single-payer system, all Americans would be covered for all medically necessary services, including: doctor, hospital, long-term care, mental health, dental, vision, prescription drug and medical supply costs. Patients would regain free choice of doctor and hospital, and doctors would regain autonomy over patient care.

Physicians would be paid fee-for-service according to a negotiated formulary or receive salary from a hospital or nonprofit HMO / group practice. Hospitals would receive a global budget for operating expenses. Health facilities and expensive equipment purchases would be managed by regional health planning boards.

A single-payer system would be financed by eliminating private insurers and recapturing their administrative waste. Modest new taxes would replace premiums and out-of-pocket payments currently paid by individuals and business. Costs would be controlled through negotiated fees, global budgeting and bulk purchasing.

Many of us pray that they never pass such a bill. If you look around the world - nationalized health is very very different from what we have come to expect. My sister flies in from Canada to see her allergist. In Canada - she can make 1 visit per year.

As to the bail out - its to support pension funds and middle income mutual funds.

When the American constituency gets stupid enough to allow the congress to pass such a bill.

Hopefully not soon.

Just remember the saying "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."

when, and only when, we get a democratic majority in congress and the white house.