Reply #15: The answer to "You get to pick the doctor you want":

[brainshrub]

If you get robbed, do you want to chose the policeman, or do you want access to good law-enforcement? If your house is burning down, do you want to chose the firemen, or do you want access to a competent fire-department?

Most citizens in countries that have universal health-care can chose their doctor... anyone who tells you otherwise is lieing. But let's pretend for a moment that you haven't been lied to, let's pretend that universal health-care would mean you would have access to good health-care when you needed it, but you couldn't pick your doctor.

The concept of "choice" in health-care is a crock. No-one chooses to be sick. The #1 priority is access to good care, not choice. The current system offers neither, unless you are rich.

Put another way: How many Porches do you own? Imagine that in order to live, you needed to buy two Porches a year. How many years would you be able to get by before your family was bankrupted?

If your LIFE depended on owning a Porche, do you want access to the car or do you want to quibble about the color?