Too complex of an issue to detail my thoughts completely on JazzFanz. Tips of the waves is I do believe there needs to be a better healthcare system than what we have seen in past decades. I do not, however, want to see healthcare erode into a completely government run system whereby many of the existing coverages go by the wayside and quality of care is dumbed down. I have many friends that are citizens of countries with national healthcare (Canada being one) that have come to the United States for care of their loved ones for varying reasons (coverages and quality being two). They all say the system works pretty well and is generally good, but awful when you have a serious problem and a loved one with a terminal illness .. or what doctors perceive as terminal.
I like having access to healthcare for everyone, but I do not believe in absolutes with regard to equality. I know that sounds harsh, but if one person has the ability to obtain superior care for a loved one, they ought be able to do so.
You seem to get the reality of the healthcare abroad. I try to talk to the German people I meet to get their honest opinions about
their health care (and other issues). I haven't met one that would trade their system for ours. I know they exist, but I haven't come across
one yet. On general basic services Germany is fine. Americans generally seem to offer the best specialized service, and for extreme cases. To say that other countries have horrible service, and are begging for our awesome doctors is wrong, or not the full story. I would say that we have the best
doctors for specialized care, but not all. People do come to Europe for treatments that are better here. Bob Marley came to Germany
for one of the best cancer specialists in the world. Kobe came for surgery over here as well. Just a few examples.
I'm most concerned that we take care of people as best we can, and also offer choice. I don't care how we get there, but I don't see the medical industry changing on it's own. The prices of medicine, and general care need to come down. We can't discriminate for pre-existing conditions. Obama's health care reform wasn't perfect, but the republicans did not help. The right demonized it from the start, and were more about spreading fear about it
then working on true solutions. I heard a lot more comments about the great evil dictator coming to turn us all into communism, that actual solutions or
desire to fix the system. Obama took a rough road against huge opposition from the right, and tried to do something. Ending up with a watered down
someone flawed system, but in my eyes the right direction.