Danes feel Obama is greater than Jesus

[--Pete]

Hi,

Exactly. However, I believe the way to remove the problems of the private sector mess are to disentangle it from government. No mandates, and no subsidies. Let insurance companies compete for business equally.

Which came first, the insurance companies or the government controls on the insurance companies? Since, I think you'll agree, that insurance companies came first, then they had their chance in a free and open market before the government 'interfered'. And there's my answer to you: you want to take us back to the conditions that started this whole mess in the first place. You think that this time, things will work out right, that the free market will generate an equitable solution. When has that ever really happened? When has an unregulated profitable industry not turned into a monopoly?

So, we agree that the mixture of government and industry is a poor solution. One or the other needs to go. If the government goes, we're back to square one which failed. So, lets just for laughs, try the other solution.

The way to gut insurance companies is to make health care very affordable, and this would be a blessing for the entire world.

Affordable health insurance would indeed be "a blessing for the entire world". Problem is, affordability and quality are inversely related. A few people trained in basic health matters and a bunch of inexpensive medications can make a big difference in a third world country, but it takes a bit more to do open heart surgery, to irradiate tumors, to transplant a kidney, etc. Operating rooms, particle accelerators, DNA typing equipment, etc., are expensive and so is the process of learning how to use them. So, where do you draw the line? Besides, just how does affordable health care gut the insurance companies? They'll just take a bigger percentage of a smaller pie -- unlike the supply of doctors and medical equipment, the supply of file clerks and copy machines is unlimited.

--Pete