Having lived in the US and Canada I will say the health care in both countries is good. Never had to wait those proverbial waits I hear about when I lived in Canada and I chose my own doctor. There is a vested interest in making the Canadian system seem bad and evil, but the truth is, though all systems have flaws, their's is pretty fair and a working system.

In this country, I had good health care until I was laid off. Cobra was $$$ and I could not get health insurance because of a previous illness that was no longer an issue. I have access to the finest health care - but only if I can pay for it out of pocket. If I have something serious happen, I will lose everything and go bankrupt. This is a better system?

So - I can no longer afford anything beyond the basic doctor visits. Can't get insurance that I can tell. Don't qualify for medicaide/care.

Limbo land health wise and until I find another corporate job, I better not have an accident or get really sick.

This is not the American Dream but the New American Reality.

I am very lucky I am healthy.

Feeling the American system is great is easy to do if you are under an employers policy. It is easy to be complacent. Bob Dole, recipiant of tax payer health care nearly all his life, made the statement that we have nothing wrong with our health care system. He probably never knew what a gallon of milk cost either. (But that was another coddled President, wasn't it)

This is neither a recessionary issue, nor a woman's issue. This is one of the US's blind spots. Only in a "conservative" country like this would a system that costs more be acceptable!

I guess as more companies slough off health care and more people are not self insurable (health or income), then I guess there will be more calls on the Government to fix this damned thing.

I'm in favour of having all of congress, the senate, the administration, federal and state, to try and buy their own insurance - for under $300 a month. My guess is a whole lot will be excluded do to health and age issues. No one would have a problem with the $300/month, except for the finding of a policy.

Someone needs to wake up to what faces a lot of Americans out there - those who are paying taxes to provide for the health care of the elected (and retired) politicians.

That is not the system that the other industrialized nations are using. Why suggest it for here?

What works in other countries and why.

No one wants to pay high taxes here - but then, what exactly do we get for the taxes we do pay?

If "insurance" works because it uses the pool system and spreads the costs, why would not a state insurance or federal not work?

Walmart is a straw man.

When I lived in Canada there were LOTS of stories of Americans crossing the border to get services they could not in their own country (in Toronto hospitals), and when I moved to the States, the same tales only in reverse directions.

I know Canadians who hate their system because they have to pay taxes to support people who make bad health decisions (smoking, diet, drinking etc) and I know Americans who, despite not having any health care and are in near impoverished conditions, think this is the best system in the world.

You can always find grass is greener movement and contrarians.

However, generally, Canadians are happy with their system because it is there if they need it. No one goes bancrupt in Canada if they happen to get sick. This does happen here. It is probably ONE of the reasons we are so sue-happy when it comes to medical issues.

As far as crossing the border to the north - believe me, Canada well understands the lure good health care holds over Americans who may have insurance and health issues - and it looks at health as part of the immigration qualifications.

@Allene Swienckowski

Americans have been fed a lot of propaganda, and some of the propaganda is that they are not subject to propaganda.

Having state or federal health insurance is one of those things that got labelled as "commie" or "socialism" (Cuba has socialized medicine - we don't want that!) A lot of Americans have a knee jerk reaction to anything labelled socialism - we don't think about things beyond the superficial.

(Iraq invasion and war comes to mind)

Also - raising our taxes invokes fear in so many Americans. We don't actually get many good things from taxes so we don't know that taxes could be used to smooth out the rough stuff in a society instead of just buying wars. We fear anything that might be a tax. A lot of Americans seem to resent our school systems and the taxes it cost to minimally run them.

We are a very weird people when it comes to socially beneficial programs!

(I've been Channelling my ex-pat self returning to USA after 15 years living abroad)