[socialismisinsidious]

Everyone is in a Medicare type plan.

Why would you want to put everyone in a plan that is soon to be bankrupt? Have you bothered to study the solvency of Medicare? And allowing a government to pick more out of pockets via withholding is stupid and a big part of the reason we are on this socialist slide. Price regulations are dangerous; a lesson that history has taught, but few have bothered to learn.

Bigger government, socialized medicine, massive entitlement programs, is not the solution to the so called health care crisis. One would think a Conservative would have that figured out by now.

[moonman]

It is my ability to correlate facts and data that allow me to reach reasonable conclusions ... that's what makes me a Conservative. We can't convince over 70 million people who get some sort of government health care subsidy to give it up. Forget our present system. It's OVER! Within 5 years we will have a national health plan.

We need a system with co-pays, not 'free'. Also, if someone elects to seek treatment privately outside the Medicare Plan, fine, let them. No punishment to them or the provider. It's their money.

Because I have been self-employed for past 25 years, I have been battling our current system that long. It sucks! Allow me to buy in to Medicare, even if they pro-rate me due to age, I'd grab it in a heartbeat. Anything is better than private healthcare I can no longer afford.