Hi, I'm not the best informed about health care reform. I don't really know whether a government-run plan would provide excellent coverage for everyone, or whether it would replace good coverage with mediocre; like butter spread over too much bread. With that said, I do accept one argument in favor of a government plan:
Every health insurance company has its own paperwork, recruiting commercials/ads, technology, and various other kinds of overhead. A great amount of money would be saved by consolidating all of those auxiliary expenses into one system.
All of those who support private insurance need to watch this interview. It's amazing how people continue to be duped by insurance company rhetoric and fear-mongering.
If you want to find out more about the healthcare system we have right now (and how much it sucks) you might want to check out this book (it was featured in SDN a few months ago). It's VERY heavy on the details - it may put you to sleep faster than ambien - but it's quite well-researched and compelling.
Check out the anesthesiology forums too if you want to get the other perspective on healthcare reform, though be ready to read some some real partisan hackery. Some people who post there live up to the "republican anesthesiologist" stereotypes in many ways.
This was a great interview with Wendell Potter, who worked with CIGNA for 15 years. He gives one of the most well-informed, balanced, and non-sensational perspectives on U.S. health care reform that I have ever seen.
if we dont start reducing the amount of money we waste on insurance company bureaucracy, we'll have to start dipping into our prison or weapons productions budgets to pay for health care.
if we dont start reducing the amount of money we waste on insurance company bureaucracy, we'll have to start dipping into our prison or weapons productions budgets to pay for health care.