Remember, the HMOs were created by congress. Prior to that, the insurance was much better in this country. HMOs are half way between regular medicine and socialized medicine. The best thing to do is Tort Reform, allowing the medical profession to reduce their costs for mal-practice insurance. Tort Reform should also be accompanied by a dedication on the part of the doctors to eliminate doctors guilty of mal-practice. Just those two things would considerably improve health care and lower costs.
Yes, they would...but lawyers oppose the first and doctors the second. It's a tough sell.
And it's not enough.
Modern medical care if fundamentally very expensive. There are not enough dollars around to make it available to everyone without limits. That means hard choices have to be made.
I would begin by identifying those services which society has an overwhelming interest in providing to everyone. Innoculations against communicable disease, child care for the first year or two of life, etc. These should be provided free to everyone.
I would then look at those areas which gobble up a disproportionate amount of tax dollars. More or less unlimited care for elderly old vegetables comes to mind. If a person hasn't managed to provide for his old age after 40 years of work it shouldn't be society's problem.
What about people who refuse to take care of themselves? Alcoholics, smokers, drug addicts, promiscuous homosexuals, obese junk food addicts. Let them, too, take care of themselves.
Deal with the above - and a few other such categories - and everyone could afford health insurance.