Healthcare should be a "right" for every child in this country. Full Stop. There is no single debate to the contrary.

Tackling the cost structure would be the best way to improve health care. I'd find ways to increase competition to lower prices.

I'd cut back the FDA as they basically serve to turn pharmaceutical companies into monopolies during their patent period. Notice how quickly costs fall once the generics come to market. The company that produced epipens could only raise prices because the FDA approval process for a generic would take years and cost millions so they had government granted monopolies. Open up the markets, let foreign drug makers sell here (Canada for example) and prices will come down via competition.

We also need to institute tort reform and get the ambulance chasers out of the way. They are helping to drive up costs.

You can fix the costs of health care by removing government hurdles that create the monopolies and drive up costs. My $3600 a month Humira (I pay $5 thanks to Cigna) would cost a fraction of that price if Abbvie didn't have a monopoly on the chemical formula. That's the government's fault since no one can pop in and compete with it.

Isn't this against Capitalism?

Amending Tort Reform....IDK Yes and No. And by Yes, you might be opening up a can of worms. If a tort happens, you must be made whole.

Dennis mentioned diabetes, and that is going to tank our healthcare system in the very near future. There are projections of more than 100 million people with diabetes in this country in the next 20 years. The funny thing is that Republicans not only hated the healthcare plan they also hated Michele Obama's healthy eating in schools program.

Interesting article:

http://theweek.com/articles/696587/repu ... at-destroy

I'd argue that our laws preventing importation of drugs from Canada (and other countries) are against Capitalism. Notice how when the Senate voted on it Rand Paul was fully in favor of importing drugs. Anything that increases competition and prevents government created monopolies is pro-free market in my book.

Michele's "healthy" school lunch was a joke. Replacing 1 processed food with another is laughable. Look at places like school and hospital cafeterias. The food is disgusting.

Health care cannot be a "right" anymore than cheeseburgers from McDonald's are a "right." We should provide health care to everyone, IMO, but that doesn't make it a right.

Have you used it for mental health care? Find a primary care doctor?

Healthcare should be a "right" for every child in this country. Full Stop. There is no single debate to the contrary.

A lot of good discussion in this thread.

Personally, I have no problem contributing to a national healthcare plan as long as most of that money goes to developing preventative measures. Health care has always been a retroactive service: wait until they get sick, then charge the hell out of them.

I used mine for a therapist when my dad got real sick. Worked beautifully.