OK, You Want Universal Healthcare Because?

I am fortunate in that my wife, the HB and I have pretty good health and health insurance. I realize that is not the case for many people in this country. Many presidential candidates call for a universal, single-payer plan. The logic is that this takes the profit incentive out of the system which will lower prices and allow more of the uninsured to have health care.

I have only three problems with this:

1) The government can hardly deliver the mail, and you'd trust them to treat your health? I'll bet the Iraq vets wouldn't. It's only an aggravation when some underpaid, poorly motivated government employee is filling out department of transportation requisitions. I do not want some underpaid, poorly motivated government employee wielding a scalpel in my direction.

2) I would question whether more money per health care dollar is spent on regulation or goes to the bottom line of the insurance/hospital companies. I don't the answer, but I gotta believe that its close. And do you think replacing private hospital administration with government administration is going to lower the price? Shit, Walmart does a better job of negotiating drug prices than the government.

3) Beyond basic and emergency care, people should HAVE to directly pay for their health care. Otherwise, it has no value and some people will overload the system even more.

IMHO, universal coverage will only work if they can develop a plan where health insurance works just like car insurance.

• You legally have to have it, so it spreads the risk.
  
  
• Regular maintenance stuff is affordable and can be paid out of pocket by most folks.
  
  
• There's money in the system to pay for big stuff when the shit hits the fan. But, you can keep your premium down by having a bigger deductible.

I'm not holding my breath.