Bernie Sanders/Single Payer Plan

[Tybee]

"We are poisoned by our culture in many respects, and then we lack the means to pay for the antidote. It's just a mess."

Again, you are nailing it, Catherine. Really profound and really true.

[Williamsmith]

Catherine, the area I live in is habited by many Amish communities. I'm not holding them out as perfect representatives of what life can be...but in the area of freedom and choices, they make sense. They are not required to participate in social security nor by virtue of its ties are they mandated to participate in Obamacare.

They self insure. It is not a model of socialized medicine. It is simplicity. No different than buying a dozen ears of corn for dinner. They get discounted services at the hospital because there are no insurance companies, employers, politicians or bureacrats involved.

They work diligently, educated their own way, earn very good wages and pay cash for their healthcare. No middle man. And they aren't concerned with squeezing out every last single breath of air from life at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The i insurance industry and government are getting in the way of simple market principles.

[catherine]

Catherine, the area I live in is habited by many Amish communities. I'm not holding them out as perfect representatives of what life can be...but in the area of freedom and choices, they make sense. They are not required to participate in social security nor by virtue of its ties are they mandated to participate in Obamacare.

They self insure. It is not a model of socialized medicine. It is simplicity. No different than buying a dozen ears of corn for dinner. They get discounted services at the hospital because there are no insurance companies, employers, politicians or bureacrats involved.

They work diligently, educated their own way, earn very good wages and pay cash for their healthcare. No middle man. And they aren't concerned with squeezing out every last single breath of air from life at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The i insurance industry and government are getting in the way of simple market principles.

Yeah, we have a lot to learn from the Amish. As you said, not perfect maybe, but models of simplicity, frugality and community.

Unfortunately the insurance industry and government have created a monster where simple market principles no longer apply. But given what we've got, until we've untangled this mess or razed it to the ground, I'll take the single-payer system. By definition, it's just simpler.

[jp1]

I was puzzled by this. If California, one of our wealthiest states with a vibrant economy and a good population base, couldn't afford to do it individually, how then would the country as a whole be able to afford it?

Couldn't do it or wouldn't do it. There's a big difference.

[bae]

Couldn't do it or wouldn't do it. There's a big difference.

It would seem California would be perfect for experimenting with such a program.