Advocates for single-payer health care often point to other countries, where national government-funded systems produce better health outcomes at lower cost. Opponents deride this type of system as "socialized medicine", and it has not been one of the favored reform options by Congress or the President in both the Clinton and Obama reform efforts.[204][205] It has been pointed out that socialized medicine is a system in which the government owns the means of providing medicine. Britain is an example of socialized system, as, in America, is the Veterans Health Administration. Medicare is an example of a mostly single-payer system, as is France. Both of these systems have private insurers to choose from, but the government is the dominant purchaser.[206]
More money per person is spent on health care in the USA than in any other nation in the world,[3][4] and a greater percentage of total income in the nation is spent on health care in the USA than in any United Nations member state except for East Timor.[4] Although not all people are insured, the USA has the third highest public healthcare expenditure per capita, because of the high cost of medical care in the country.[
The USA is the "only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage" (i.e., some kind of private or public health insurance).[17] In 2004 the U.S. a Institute of Medicine report observed "lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States."[17] while a 2009 Harvard study estimated that 44,800 excess deaths occurred annually due to lack of health insurance.[18]
Some excerpts from the Wikipedia on health care in the U.S. I really would urge you to read the whole piece and put some effort into understanding the health care system in this country. It is a huge piece of our economy and it has many moving pieces. The Health Care Reform Act that was passed is not one that I personally like but it does address many of the critical issues. What I would like to see from you all are some suggestions that would address the problem. And no one is talking about "free health care." There is no such thing as free. The premiums for my Medicare come out of my Social Security. For people working part-time minimum wage jobs that don't provide health insurance, what's your solution? And remember for a lot of people today that's all the jobs that are available. Our middle class job base has shrunk tremendously over the last 30 years.
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