The United States is the gutterball of developed countries

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/opinion/20Dubinsky.html?src=me&ref=general

The money quote: "If members of Congress feel so strongly about undoing this important legislation (see Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010), perhaps we should stop providing them with health insurance."

And this: "... let them try to buy health insurance in the individual market. My bet is that they all would be denied. Health insurance reform might suddenly not seem to them like such a bad idea."

The link author is a CEO. You would think that buying individual plans for her family would be a piece of cake. It wasn't. If someone as honest and healthy as Dubinsky was repeatedly denied after listing minor pre-existing conditions, few insurers are going to underwrite the likes of John Boehner (Alcoholic Chain Smoker, Tanning Bed Enthusiast - Ohio), or a basket case like Michele Bachmann (Hyperthyroid, Delusional Disorder with Psychotic Features - Minnesota.)

Health care costs continue to widen our deficit crater. True health care reform would've been so easy. Open Medicare and Medicaid to all. The infrastructure is in place. Start up costs = zero. Mandates? Why? We don't need them. Invest in more fraud protection, open more clinics, and watch the economy and the job market explode. Top this explosive growth by making the U.S. an even attractive destination for medical tourists, and the benefits are endless. A deeper side benefits would be the loyalty of voters, making the practice of campaigning-while- legislating a thing of the past.

Only an obstructionist asshole would rail against these wins. A multitude of problems solved.

But we don't do things like this in the land of institutional greed. I think in terms of problems solved, so my opinion doesn't count.

Look at our loudest critics and their destroy this paltry piece of legislation. It's all but toothless, so where's the pay off? What are the obstructionists taking to the bank?

In truly developed countries, socialized medicine isn't an entitlement. It's a part of doing business, attracting business, and remaining competitive, never mind the basic wisdom of caring for your populace to ensure things like, you know, a stable GNP and healthy people.