Talk of insurance mandate growing

I don't think we are going to see a mandate. However, I do think we are going to see a real mess , we would be better off to implement a single-payer plan.

Yes, I do fully support government supported healthcare because I would rather pay higher taxes and know that I will not be on the brink of bankruptcy if I have to get a $250,000 operation when I can't afford the 20%. I trust the gov't more with my health than a corporation who just wants to make a profit and pad their executives pockets.

Of course there would be some sort of administration of the benefits - just like you're private insurance company does. For example - to de-incentivize people from going to the ED we can charge them $100 per visit - or maybe free if it is a true emergency and maybe charge them $100 if it isn't.

Furthermore, we can incentivize people to go to their primary care physicians early by making it low cost or no cost. We can also incentivize those who don't smoke, those who have a healthy bmi, blood presure, etc.

So yes, there are simple ways to administer a universal system responsibily. No one is advocating for some sort of healthcare system with no controls.

Some observations I came up with:

• The state of California last week came up with a $21 billion shortfall. One of the first things to be cut was health care.

• In Washington, DC - budget deficit nearing $2 trillion, they're trying to come up with ways to cut wasteful spending which would initially come up with $17 billion (a drop in the proverbial bucket). Fiscally speaking, Medicare & Social Security are anything but healthy. The recession has slashed payroll-tax revenue adding to fiscal woes.

• New Orleans (post Katrina) - a case study of a population with minimal health care and health insurance. Almost two-thirds of New Orleans residents now report chronic health problems. As flawed as our present system in the rest of the country may be, it pales in comparison.

With all this deficit spending running into the trillions of dollars, how could massive inflation not soon follow? If you think health care is expensive now.... The poor have no insurance, check. Those with pre-existing conditions have no insurance for that condition unless they get in with a big corporation's insurance plan, or luck out with a similar plan. Many health care workers have some of the lousiest health insurance around, and you are "incentivized" to only use it when your are half-dead.

So, let's see. The government can't afford health care. We the people can not afford health care. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Even Billy Mays, the TV huckster, doesn't seem to have the answer!

I work with a multinational biotech company (Baxter International). There are people with virtually uninsurable pre-existing conditions whose only motive for employment is to obtain otherwise unobtainable coverage. Not only is hospital pay lower the non hospital pay, the health care benefits are worse too (usually, it seems).

And you actually believe them? I think the reasons for their announcement are: 1) good PR; 2) attempt to pre-empt, derail, obfuscate any talk of real reform that would hurt their bottom line, such as a competing "public option" plan that they know they cannot compete with. I think it is telling that they waited only after health care reform became a serious possibility before they so generously came up with the "we can save more" idea. Why didn't they just do it in the first place if they cared so much?