Health care is an essential social service. This has already been decided and is why they treat you when you show up in an emergency room, regardless of your ability to pay. The issue at hand is not health care, but the cost of health care and that particular impact on the people. The latest statistics show that $1.8 trillion dollars is spent on health care in this country or approximately $6000 per person. Twice that and more than other industrialized western nations. Despite spending so much, there are millions without any health insurance and cannot afford to see a doctor for preventive care and health maintenance, even more that have insurance and cannot afford the co-pays that go along with it. despite all that is being spent, costs for care and insurance have gone up, the number getting care has gone down, and the coverage offered by commercial insurance has been reduced. Since health care is an essential service and the health of the nation has an affect on production, education, economy, and welfare, it would be in the best interest to have a national insurance plan that would take the dollars already being spent and insure that most of them go to directly provide health care to individuals.
First order would be to insure that the government would be banned from building or operating any civilian hospital. Medical care for the military would not be affected but there will not be any government run hospitals for the public.
Costs: Capping malpractice insurance rates and awards, and allowing hospitals to compete for patients while maintaining low administrative costs, and with the guarantee that every patient seen will have their costs covered overall cost of coverage will come down, the goal being no higher than $3500 annually per capita or $1.05 trillion, needed per year.
Coverage: A review of conditions and procedures that are covered in any percentage by current commercial insurance, will be covered 100% by national insurance. No co-pays, no prescription costs.
Payments: A review of currently negotiated rates with hospitals and Drs will set the base for payments to them for services rendered, renegotiations can use inflation and cost of living as bases for increases.
Prescriptions: Price and quality will be the basis for negotiations for medications.
Funding: At a savings to all of the currently insured, their rates will drop to 10% of monthly income up to $100 per month. With at least 100 million workers in this category, that raises $120B a year, their employers will also save by having a reduced premium for insurance at 4 times what their employees pay and that results in an additional $480B. So we have $600B while putting more money back into people's pockets. Everyone who works will pay the 10% of income per month. There are at least 50 million more workers, with little or no insurance. Assuming the lowest income under the poverty line, these workers will still contribute $1000 a year each or an additional $50B, their employers working on the same sliding scale will provide an additional $200B. Now we have $850B, the remaining $200B and more has already been appropriated under Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA, that total actually is closer to $400B for those combined programs. All programs funded by the individual states could cease, further reductions in taxes on the people.
The role of government in this process - pay the bill. The board list as determined previously in this post is covered, prescriptions, covered. Dental and optical, covered. Hospitals submit their service voucher and payment is issued. Review and oversight will be in place to address issues of abuse. Like the tax database, a medical database can be built to monitor national health and provide support and direction for medical research. Procedures or medications not listed as covered will be reviewed by state medical boards and the basis for approval will be benefit to the patient, not cost of the procedure.
This benefit will only be available to legal residents of the United States. Illegal residents will be treated, but also deported once able to travel.
Using the free market so hospitals compete for patients will make for better services and shorter wait times. With over $1 trillion available for the market, it will be a very profitable for hospitals and Dr's, look for insurance companies to open their own health care facilities and provide private insurance for previously uncovered procedures.

"When asked by a reporter if an individual decided they didn't want healthcare Edwards quickly responded, "You don't get that choice.""

One word: Totalitarianism. No freedom. No ability to choose. Interesting the nanny-state liberals never use that when speaking about abortion. What do they say? "Freedom to choose?" "Healthcare decisions made between the woman and her doctor?" Forget all that - it's the gov't taking away your rights to everything, and forcing you to sign on to a program you may or may not want.

Liberals are truly the enemy within - and here is a prominent liberal making it clear he intends to take our freedom away.

I love how the Dems insist on giving choice to women for aborting a baby, but won't give them or anyone else a choice about if they want health coverage or not. Or even what kind of coverage - we'll all be forced to go under what the government mandates. NICE. THAT's the kind of country of freedom I want to live in.

The notes saying universal health care programs like the ones enjoyed by all the free industrialized countries except the US, HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE YOUR DOCTOR. Many without insurance or HMO's don't have this option in the US. Get a grip, universal health care, like public schools police and fire protection, is vital and is coming. It's just a matter of who best can lead the charge against the failed profits before patients system we now suffer in. The US ranks 37th in world health care! Universal coverage gives everyone a choice.

with universal coverage as i wrote it, means you can go to any doctor you want. You still have the freedom to not go to the doctor, but when you are found unconscious from a heart attack you won't have to give up your house to pay for the angioplasty.

jonatales, I'm wondering why *you* shouldn't move if you don't like the way things are now.

thats always been the problem i have with liberals, they want to take care of me. i don't want them to, but they don't care, they know what is best for me.

I don't want the govt to take care of me either. but there are damn few people that are ready to handle a major medical situation even with insurance. This isn't necessarily about the guy who doesn't work, it is about the father of three who pulls down $40K after taxes and his 15 year old gets hit by a car. He has insurance, but the policy gets cancelled after they find out the kid had a heart murmer that wasn't previously disclosed. Or the coverage he has doesn't cover the 6 surgeries and 4 months in the hospital.
If you aren't lucky or rich it does not take much in medical bills to push you over the financial edge.

louis, got some bad news for you, that 15 year old that gets hit by a car is dead if the govenment is in charge.

louis, got some bad news for you, that 15 year old that gets hit by a car is dead if the govenment is in charge.

And why exactly should I be paying for that Dad's three kids and their healthcare? What if I want to spend MY EARNINGS on what I WANT? That dad shouldn't have 3 kids if he can't afford them. I don't have 3 kids because I can't afford that many and save for myself. Every liberal argument is simply STEALING MY EARNINGS TO PAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S WANTS.

hey aside, glad to see someone gets my point. by the way liberals, name me 1 thing the government does well, they don't defend us [or our borders ] , they don't even try to help the working poor [better to be on welfare] the housing that they do provide is crime-ridden and rat infested, social security is going broke, the only thing that is saving us is that other governments of the world are even more incompetent then ours !!!! what government does best is WASTE our taxes. look around sometime and see how much you are paying, not just out of your paychecks, gasoline, food, liquor, clothes, furniture etc.....are all taxed, where does it go???????????? it goes to fund more government programs that don't work.the best job in america is to get a government job, unless you get caught staeling, you are set for life. what a shame.

What happened to American's freedom of choice? Mandatory?
Maybe John Edwards should run for President of Iran or the Venezuela if he wants to be a Dictator.

MANDATORY!!!!!!!!!!!????????????

This just makes me furious. This is a guy that chased ambulances for a living! He sued the very people that will be the providers for this NO CHOICE policy of his! He lives in the mansion on the hill and HE says you WILL DAMNIT! He can spew this bs all he wants, there is no way in hell this country will EVER mandate something that we the American people have no choice in. This is the policy of the liberals when they run for office....Scare the people (Conservatives will take away Social Security, You are going to die if you don't have mandated health care, if we don't control the school system, your kids won't learn, etc, etc.)

Frankly, I am sick and tired of being told what to do, how to believe, and what to think. Enough of these idiots already.

"This is how democracy dies.

Posted by: Jeff"

You are so right! Not only do they take "vacations" to India for their procedures, but the BIG hospitals and medical groups are setting up shop there.

Follow-up question for Sen. Edwards:
And if I decline to participate, then what?

"Papers, please...."

From my own blog:

One of the reasons why healthcare is so expensive is those government mandates. I have to pay for coverage that I WILL NEVER USE, EVER. I have no choice. My plan MUST cover me, by law. So I have to pay for it.

I'd really like to delete some of these coverages that I'll NEVER EVER need...because I just don't think I'm ever going to get ovarian cancer.

Lazy Joe decides he doesn't want to work. Mr. Liberal looking for his vote tells Lazy Joe he don't have to work because Mr Liberal will make sure he doesn't have to. Mr. Liberal sends me a bill (taxes) to set Joe up in a shanty where he can smoke cigarettes, drink beer, eat pigs feet and watch Bob Barker on the TV. Not to worry Joe keep smoking up and clogging them arteries because Universal Health care is on the way paid for by me of course. Maybe if I see you in line waiting for Dr. Who to repair your heart and my back from working my butt off we can talk about that vote you cast from year to year.

final thought, in 1965 the state i live in had no sales tax, no state income tax.the cities had world class schools, and were safe. now, we are taxed on everything, our cities are among the unsafest in the country, the schools are bad and give out phony diplomas, that is what happens when you send money to the liberals. you see, i live in a blue state.