What would it be like if we paid a health care tax instead of paying for health insurance? I had this thought about changing it because I'm thinking about writing a book and this thought came to me, what if the government paid the doctors and nurses and all of the hospital and doctor office employees? I know, I know, this is a scary thing to think of. That is a very dramatic thing to propose. But I don't hear anything else coming from all of our big bad politicians, they aren't worried about not having benefits. I'm sure they are completely covered, courtesy of the American population. But there are so many of us little guys who are suffering, me included, with no coverage at all. What can we do to improve our situations? Is it possible to improve if the government took over the health care industry? I think if they took it over, then we would all have to be covered at least basically. Maybe, if people with more money were to pay for better coverage, or something like that. If I'm not mistaken, Canada already has health care for all of their citizens and we can look to them for guidance. Am I completely insane maybe? Please, someone let me know what you think and feel about this. I'm extremely interested in this. Thanks!

Yes, we do have socialized medicine in Canada and each community has an up-dated health network whereby any hospital you are admitted to has your current health record at their finger tips. When we turn 65 it still continues and a drug plan is included whereby most prescriptions are $3 to $6 each.

It isn't absolutely free, there is a small stipend deducted from pay cheques each month to cover the expense, or at least, there used to be.

It is a brave thought and one that merits discussion, a proposed legislation and then take it to the public for a vote. I would not want something that important to be left to the politicians to vote on. They would either screw it up or add so many addendums to it, it would be meaningless unless you were run over by a cattle truck at 4:15 a.m. on I-94 in the Badlands during a hailstorm.

Personally I would love to see something like a public health tax.

Thank you both so much. I hope that with help we can bring about change. I need to find someone to take this thought to though, so where exactly is that or who is that? Any thoughts about that?

I've always thought the Canadians had a much better health system going on up there.

My family doesn't have health insurance and I have 2 small children.

We make too much money for public assistance, but yet if we were to pay for insurance, we wouldn't be able to eat, pay bills, etc...

The monthly cost is outrageous and yet they will still tack on deductibles and high co-pays...

I say go for it...

Ted Kennedy, over the years, has been an advocate for socialized medicine in the US and was talking up a stomr l5 or 20 years ago, and there are still echos here and there. Isn't he doing something about this ?