[immadashell]

I’d be willing to see health care reform that: 1) reformed the scope/extent of lawsuits; 2) eliminated mandates that impose often silly requirements for private health care coverage; 3) required proof of citizenship for health care unless they had the cash to pay for it in their hands. But you’ll never see that from Democrats. So I’m with you.

Tort reform, elimination of "unfunded" mandates, and immigration reform are all issues which can be dealt with separately outside of a health care bill. To include them as payoffs for RINOs and Blue Dogs to get approval of a health care bill is a tactic to get a health care bill in some form. The real danger of a health care bill is the ability for the libs to legislate "life style" which in my mind is equal to eliminating liberty and freedom. They want CONTROL OVER THE INDIVIDUAL at any cost and that is unacceptable to me. NO PLAN is the only way to assure whatever is left of our personal independence prevails.

[Michael Eden]

I can’t disagree with that. Nor would I be willing to trade even all 3 for a “single payer system.”

The other thing is that all three of these things are essentially elements of government run amok. In California, hospitals CANNOT ASK FOR citizenship status. Mandates are imposed by state and federal governments. And the whole idea of “tort reform” is itself part of activist judges run amok.

In other words, to make our health care system better, we need to find more ways to get government the hell out of it - NOT get government more involved.