Reply #5: The Government already has a working precedent

[divineorder]

Think food stamps, student loans, FHA. The government funds, not runs. There are no government run grocery stores, schools are run locally, your house was built by a private entity and you got funding through a bank. Even with transfer payments, the entities that are funded are private entities set up to recieve public funds.

What would most likely happen is that everyone gets a card and takes it to whatever health care provider they have, the provider provides services, and fills out a form to get compensation for that service. If the government doesn't fund that service, you would still be free to buy supplemental insurance, pay for it out of personal funds, or fundraise. Just as you are free to go to school using student loans, your or your parents own funds, or scholarships. If the government thinks what you are studying is too frivolous to pay for-you can still get it in other ways.