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I dont think we will be seeing a universal single payer system anytime soon in the US...the will is just not there, as relfected in some responses here.
IMO, the quality of the US health care system is second to none the world...the goal should be making it more affordable and accessible.
In the short term, that probably means relying mostly on employer-based programs.
I'd like to see reform in making these programs more equitable for employees through some time of means-testing (higher paid employees should pay more than the average employee) and I'd like to see some type of enhanced employer tax benefits so that the they (the employer) is incentivized to bear more of the cost.
For small companies that currently do not provide health benefits, we need regulatory reform at both the state and federal level to let such companies create health insurence "pools" that aggregate their employees to make it more affordable.
For others w/o insurance, particularly children, the government role should be expanded through the SCHIP program.
And finally, Medicare reform is critical, particularly with the baby boomers approaching medicare eligibility....but I dont have a clue how that can be accomplished.
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"The perfect is the enemy of the good."
~ Voltaire
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