20/20 had a show on health care last night and while making copies I watched it (put in sheet press button, wait 5 minutes, turn over, put sheets back in press button etc..total time waster)

Anyway, the proposed plan by many is to 'have the government take over' the first thing I have to ask is how well did that work for education? Today a high school GED test contains LESS knowledge than a common 8th grade test from 60 years ago..and many 'graduating' students couldn't pass the GED if they tried!

Now before you think I am a total Anarchist, I do feel some things are done best by a large slow body..protecting the borders..Of course weather or not we need any, and from whom is a completely different debate, let's leave it at individuals don't band together to train as often as an army.

Now back to health care, what is an alternative to nationalizing it? How about not getting any for simple routine care..how about including Dr visits as a routine reoccurring bills, not unlike changing the oil in your car. This is the method I prefer with an added insurance for major issues, like cancer.

The number one complaint is that if it came out of pocket, many people would not get routine checkups. Maybe so, many people don't change the oil in their cars either..many people also don't read to their kids. I can't make you read to your kid, and I have no right to, neither does the government. Same with getting your cholesterol checked, I have no right to make you do it, and neither does the government.

Besides, I haven't been to a real Dr.in 2 years, after my youngest son was born one of my moles started bleeding so we had it removed and checked. Before that it was a sympathy visit when my husband had a bleeding mole. I figured since I was making him go, I aught to join him in the torture. (both were fine) Aside from the Dr pestering me to find some excuse to get the insurance to pay for a full workup of blood tests, I learned nothing and didn't want to ever go back. (I have had prenatal care, all three kids were delivered by medical professionals)

Until recently I had health coverage, I just never stopped to look for or visit a Dr. I had better things to do with my time (no offense to any Dr.s). So no amount of health care coverage free or paid by me is going to make me go without a good reason. Only difference between the health care I have had and government would be the wait time..I was in the office within days of calling, and it could have been sooner except each time I made them wait till my husbands day off.

In England there was a recent campaign promise to 'reduce hospital wait time' to 18 weeks..that is almost 5 months! Canada has a similar problem with wait time. Dr.s go on strike there as often as teachers do here! I know they don't want to, but they DO want to be able to pay their own bills.

I am sure there are some kinks that could be worked out to help, but the short version is we have better cheaper cell phones and better cheaper education toys outside of the government system..We also often have better medical equipment..but in the hands of the insurance companies we can't pay for it.

Many companies are working on a flex medical spending plan..where you have insurance for big things, but routine care is your own responsibility..think of it as being in charge of your own oil changes, but repairs on say the transmission are covered.

I think specific kinks need worked out of that too (for example children should have more routine things covered) But I also think this is a wonderful method, and if more people would be conscious of what it really costs to run a blood test or get a script for antibiotics, maybe less parents would ask for one when their child only has a bad cold.

Then again, people might be too stupid to take care of themselves.....many do not brush their teeth or avoid fat. They also do not care for their children's teeth or diets. The junk food industry is booming, sedentary entertainment is a multi billion dollar industry, and we sit around and complain because insurance companies don't want to pay for open heart surgery....

How about we put the government in charge of making TV shows, and junk food..they can screw that up (no more Hershey's special dark!) we can start smuggling in chocolate, (without the regulation how do we know what people are putting in that back ally dark chocolate?) and no one wants to watch government run TV, so we can maybe get off our duffs and go outside once a week at least (or not, we will be online finding a dealer to mail us chocolate!)