Why don't you check out the German health care system? It includes public and private options, covers everyone and is much less expensive than our system? And, the Germans actually wait less time to see a specialist than we do.

Here's a link so you can check it out:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=919714 06

By the way, I'm "bright enough to have become a doctor" (your words, not mine) and I'm happy to be able to serve both private insurance patients and SCHIP medicaid patients. Also you may not be aware that most of the "reams of paperwork" I face come as a result of "denial letters" (which can be...

I'm glad to hear you have a good health care plan. As a small business owner, our company has been hit with skyrocketing healthcare costs for our employees. They have a good plan too and I hope they're happy with it too because the increased cost is the reason why we haven't been able to give raises for the past couple of years

I don't think anyone is trying to get everyone into a government run HMO plan. I just think everyone should have options.

I meant to say that if you think that an insurance company chooses a hospital to be a "preferred provider" based on quality of care, think again.

I'll try to proofread better next time. Sorry! I really do appreciate the people who actually read my posts and take the time to respond whether they agree with me or not.

As a pediatrician in the suburbs of Cleveland where many people have lost their jobs, I care for MANY children who have one of the SCHIP plans as their health insurance. These kids get the same excellent care as the kids who have private insurance. Believe it or not, their parents DO get to chose their doctors. They get to use our nurse/doctor after hours advice service. They get to schedule appointments when it's convenient for them. They get to fill their prescriptions for the same medications at the same local pharmacies that our private insurance patients use (and they don't have to use those mail order places that many of the private patients have to use). They actually have more choice when it comes to being referred to a...

Sometimes the more you know, the more you know you don't know. I'm not only a physician, I am a small business owner (as a partner in a pediatrics practice) and the wife of a brain cancer survivor. The issues surrounding healthcare are very complex and anyone who tries to give you a simple solution is either poorly informed or trying to fool you. Anyone who thinks that the reason we spend more on health care than any other country is only because of illegal aliens doesn't really understand the problem.

The comments that have been made about infant mortality and life expectancy are thought-provoking. I'm not sure of the answer but would like to find out. I do know though the US has a much higher abortion rate than most...

Actually, PV, I am a physician and I do take the Hippocratic Oath seriously. I'm a pediatrician and spent many months in my residency working in the NICU with very premature and sick babies. The neonatologists and neonatal nurses are among the hardest working, highly skilled and most dedicated professionals I've ever met. I also have many "NICU graduates" in my practice--babies who were born as early as 23 weeks gestation. Most of these kids are healthy now and developing normally. But some are not--some are left with cerebral palsy, mental retardation, severe respiratory problems and neurological conditions like autism. The most important thing we can do to help babies get a healthy start in life is to make sure all pregnant...

So if the old people and sick people in Europe, Canada, Japan and other first world countries with universal health care are being killed off by "big brother" government, why do they live longer (on average) than we do?

I'd love to hear some opinions on this.

While Americans spend more on end of life care (and beginning of life and middle of life care too for that matter), you'd expect us to have the highest life expectancy in the world but we are far from it. Lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, unhealthful food and too much of it, lack of exercise, etc.) may account for some of the difference, but certainly not all. Anyone who's ever been to Europe has seen that smoking is much more prevalent and tolerated there than it is here. And who makes better food than the Italians or the French? German food may not be as tasty but it sure is loaded with carbs, fats, cholesterol and is served with lots of beer. Yet the citizens of these countries live on average years longer than we do. They...

Instead of using the British or Canadian health care systems to scare Americans away from health care reform, why don't you check out the German health care system? The German system includes both public and private options, covers everybody and costs a whole lot less than our system. And Germans actually get in to see their doctors faster than Americans do. Here's a link so you can check it out:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=919714 06&sc=emaf

I am a pediatrician in a practice in a suburban area west of Cleveland. Many of the parents of my patients have lost their jobs in the last year. Thanks to the SCHIP programs these children have been able to continue receiving health care benefits. As a health care provider I can assure you that these patients receive the same high level of care that the children with private insurance enjoy. Their parents can call us for phone advice. They can get their prescriptions filled at the same local pharmacies. They actually have greater choice when they need to be admitted to the hospital or referred to specialists since most of the "private" insurance companies have designated one of the two large hospital systems in our area as...