As you mentioned in another post, those who whine the most about socialism, don't worry that we spend unaccounted for Trillions on the military.
These are usually the same individuals who whine about state rights. Yet will be the first to scream in the streets and meddle with the courts. See the Terry Schiavo case or the Bush appointment to the presidency.
These are the same individuals who will whine about personal freedoms and want the gov,t out of our lives. Yet, these are the same assholes who want the govt. to regulate how and who you have sex with in the privacy of your own home.
These are the same individuals who spout how we all should love democracy. Yet these are the same assholes who will scream to invade other nations because their population didn't vote the way these assholes wanted the vote to go.
These are the same individuals who whine about how we're spending money in job retraining programs or extended un-employment benefits. Yet these are the same assholes who want our govt. to increase military funding in useless and unproven fantasies like the missile shield.
These are the same individuals who rail against any form of govt. assistance for those in need. Yet these are the same assholes who live off the high hog of massive farm subsidies.
These are the same individuals who scream about the govt. OPTION in healthcare. Yet, these are the same assholes who will suck off medicare and medicaid.
These are the same individuals who whine about an inadequate education system. Yet these are the same assholes who want the govt. to officially to mandate the teaching the earth is 6000 years old.
These are the same individuals who want the govt. to cut programs for the needy. Yet these are the same assholes who don't care if Trillions in corporate welfare is handed out to large corporations.
The fortunate thing is these assholes make up no more than 20% of the population. They live in predominantly rural and southern low-income poverty areas. Most of us don't know these people exist. But they do exist. And they elect assholes like themselves who go into DC to create legislation that impacts the rest of us. Such as stacking the FDA and the SEC to be un-American just like themselves.
The unfortunate part is the rest of us suffer from "Asshole-Fatigue". We know when we see one of these assholes on TV, that there aren't many of them around. We discount these assholes because we know they are a minority. And these assholes take advantage of our asshole-fatigue and inaction.
It's time everyone went to these "town hall" meetings and shouted down these assholes.
Quote from piezoe:
It would be a very good idea for consumers to pay a greater fraction of their cost directly so that they would be acutely aware of costs and might cut down on unnecessary trips to the doctor and become much more interested in following through on billing errors, etc. I don't see, however, how this proposal, which is attractive none the less, would result in "..a very healthy competition in the industry," and I don't see how it would do anything dramatic for costs, which is where the real problem lies.
The reason U.S. medicine does not operate in a price competitive environment has very little to do with the payment mechanism.
The reason there is no competition is because American Medicine operates as a government sanctioned, via the FDA, Cartel in which access is very tightly controlled, and that Cartel is selling something you desperately need: your health! When you break your leg are you going to say: "No thank you, the cost is too much." I think not!
Peripheral measures such as the one proposed are nice and perhaps a very good idea, but until the power of the Cartel is broken there will not be free price competition, and prices will remain out of line with the rest of the world.
Medicine will have to be deregulated to some extent if prices are to come down. This may be an imperfect solution, but until a perfect one comes along it would be far better than what we have now -- a system that can easily bankrupt someone even with insurance! In fact, the truly poor may be better off with regard to paying for medical services than a lower middle class family with insurance. I ask you, what kind of a "system" is that?!
I also would ask why the non-profit Blues (Blue Cross-Blue Shield) are not enthusiastic about a proposed government insurance option paid for by premiums (Not tax dollars). If the Blues are so efficient, and they don't even have to make a profit, why should they be worried by premium-supported, alternative insurance administered by the government --"a government that can never run anything half so efficient as private enterprise." (Could it be that the board will miss their sets of alligator luggage at Christmas time should they lose customers to the government plan?) 
Yes, the Cartel must be broken if real progress on costs is to be made.
