Much of Europe has a more 'socialistic' system than we. If something, like diet ends up costing the public more then the industries are held accountable. I saw a much stronger hands on approach to industry from the governments while there and was impressed. What do we do, pass 'citizens united'!!!! Industry runs our lives.

Provider free for all is more like it...I am retired on Medicare...I had 2 stents put in...Up through the ole Femoral Artery for the insertion...I was on the table for a total of 45 minutes...awake for the whole thing(in la-la land) ... Overnight stay for routine observation and I needed some pain meds because of bad leg cramping...

They billed BC/BS and Medicare a total of ... Brace yourself...$242,000...A QUARTER OF A MILLION $...Insurance paid $10,000...Now I don't know what the profit margin was on the payout but I am SURE they made money so something really needs to give.

If I had no Insurance they would have sent me a Bill for the $242,000 and if I had the Assets they would have seized them guaranteed...and what really sucks is the Courts would allow and order the full amount to be repaid...not the 10K like Medicare paid out...total screwjob by the providers...$20 for a frikin Tylenol...ARE YOU SHITTIN ME...People are being bankrupted daily but the CEO's get their bonus.

The phrase "government takeover" which you use is intended as a loaded derogatory phrase to demean the whole idea of universal healthcare. Yes, you correct in that price gouging is allowed in the current system of profit-based health insurance. And, the reason that we have such gouging is the Republican Party is in the picket of the price gougers. A universal healthcare system will take care of all of that. That ain't gonna change until the party in power changes.

In is not a government takeover, but a takeover b y the people by electing members of congress who represent their true best interests.That is proven by the fact that all other industrialized nations have universal healthcare systems which cost less and serve all their people well. You are at it again, misrepresenting the issue.

Basically corporations are writing the laws , submitting them along with substancial bribes , disguised as potencial high paying jobs , once they leave politics . The corporations make billions of dollars by investing a few hundred thousand , and the politicians continue to become richer and richer .

Here's the reality.

The private healthcare insurance industry will not be regulated because they've bought enough elected officials through the legalized bribery we call corporate campaign donations to protect them from any such obstacles to their greed.

Bernie's Medicare For All is nice in theory but will never be passed even if he's elected President because it will die on Mitch McConnell's desk and never be brought up for a vote. Even if it does somehow find its way to the floor for a vote, it will be killed not only by the Repubs but also by the centrist Dems.

Despite the 73% support the public has for a single payer system, the will of the people means nothing.to our "leaders" at the highest levels of government when measured against the strength of the industry and the payoffs they will get by supporting it.

Conclusion: we're stuck with the garbage system we have that bankrupts thousands of people every year and forces thousands more to have to choose between paying standard medical costs or eating.

God bless, Murica.

America has the most expensive, least effective health care system in the developed world ... so Americans can PRETEND they aren't paying for their neighbor's health care. Maybe a nice pandemic will snap us out of it, but I'm not holding my breath.

I agree, in part.
The insurance companies, HMOs, and pharmaceutical companies, must be
reined in. Their profit margins are out of control.
While having the government take control is not even close to being ideal, unless
and until the profiteering is stopped, nothing will change.

Mostly true, but insurance companies negotiate prices with providers down. Once a price has been negotiated, contracts are signed and that provider is in the companies network. Go outside the network and the provider charges whatever the fuck they feel like and since it's out of network you, not the insurance company's, responsible.

One of the things that used to happen would be a group of providers, say anesthgiologests just as an example, would refuse to negotiate with anyone. They're still needed and used, but they aren't under contract with an insurance company, so when you go have that operation you get a suprise bill from the anesthgiologest. He isn't covered by insurance because they aren't dumb enough to sign a contract that won't control costs. So you get to.

The health care sector is closing in on 20% of our GDP, I'm not seeing the political will to do anything about that kind of money. I think something revolutionary and or incredibly destructive will have to happen to the current regulatory system if that's going to change. Letting elected officials run health care regulations, will stop change from happening. The smallest of issues, one single sector of the larger system, big pharma, is more than elected official can handle. Theres no way they can handle system wide issues.