You really should read this: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/26/090126fa_fact_gawande

@Adam:  excellent article.  It really puts into perspective the different health systems and what we need to do as a nation to address the outstanding issues.  Very thought provoking.

Health care should be about caring for people to produce good outcomes in a cost effective manner.
Two options should be offered to individuals and businesses to either use:
A free, government, owned and operated, VA style civilian National Health Care System, funded by a national sales tax, no insurance, no co pays, and free period:
Or the alternate choice would be for individuals or businesses to choose the private systems for care that they like.
Private care would allow for the unlimited choice of doctors, clinics, hospitals, timing, and treatments, Ford Fiesta or Rolls-Royce, but it would require the user to pay privately for their health services, either by self pay, company pay, private insurance, whatever, but no government payments should be paid to private providers for private care.
Costs of health care paid for by government programs, (Medicare-Medicaid etc.) could be reduced, to a fraction of their current expenditures, with better outcomes, if the services for these programs were delivered from a utilitarian VA style System.
Businesses choosing national health care would free themselves from all financial burdens or any involvement in any way for the health services their employees receive.
This would apply to companies the size of General Motors or as small as Joe’s Pizza.
This article, (The Best Care Anywhere by Phillip Longman)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0501.longman.html
documents how the VA was transformed by Dr. Kizer, into a system that is producing the highest quality health care in the country.
Please ask Senators Baucus and Grassley to request a study from The Office of Management and Budget of the impact of implementing this dual system.

Don’t look for any ideas for significant reform from Baucus. He is solidly in the pockets of the insurance ‘industry.’ He receives huge contributions from insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Max has been ‘republican lite’ for years. He could care less about the average working person. He has been K Street’s favorite Democrat for a long time.