Reply #12: I don't know anyone, not one person, who wants a public system only.

[Honeycombe8]

Including myself.

It sounds great, and in theory I'd be in favor of, keeping the ins. cos. (and the profit) out of the system. That makes the cost high (duh!). But I'm hearing that in practice, it doesn't work that well for things that are not ordinary exams and maintenance. There are fewer drs. There are far fewer operations, so if you need an operation, you may have to wait months or years to get one, if ever.

But if we add to the current system a public system where the govt offers public plans at reasonable rates, and then subsidizes the premium payments, that makes sense to me.

Who is slipping thru the cracks now are not the very poor. They get free medical care that you and I pay for in our taxes. It is the lower middle class, who are not poor enuf to qualify for free care, but don't have enuf $ to pay for private policy. The govt would subsidize those payments on a sliding scale. Those with enuf $ to buy a private policy, or who have employer-provided ins., would have the option of keeping that, or paying for the public plan (although it wouldn't be subsidized).

It sounds like it could work. But I'm no ins. expert, so how can I know for sure?