Reply #25: Here's a good quote:

[rucky]

Start paying for universal coverage with $100B in redundancy
Q: Do you favor universal coverage for everyone without exception?
A: Yes, I do.

Q: How would you pay for it?

A: I would pay for it by three ways. 1) I start off dealing with going into a prevention-and-treatment mode here that required us to simplify and modernize the system. That could save $100 billion a year in redundancy that goes on right now. 2) I would immediately provide for catastrophic health insurance for all Americans, and I'd immediately move for insuring every single child in America. That would cost less than what the top 1% tax break costs, $85 billion a year. 3) Then what I would do is I would move to insuring everyone through one of two vehicles. Either a system we work out among the stakeholders, an agreement that everyone essentially gets Medicare from the time you're born or a system whereby everyone can buy into the federal system. Those who don't have the means to buy in, then you subsidize them into the system. I would pay for that by direct revenues.

Source: Huffington Post Mash-Up: 2007 Democratic on-line debate Sep 13, 2007

More:

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Joe_Biden_Health_Care.htm