[Dan40]

To clear up some misconceptions on both sides of the Atlantic re: US health care;
Credentials" I have health insurance experience [an agency with over 100 insurance agents in 15 states]
My wife has a Masters in Health Care Finance and is a former hospital CFO.

1., Denial of health care for the poor DOES NOT exist in the US. ANYONE can walk [or be carried] into any hospital ER and WILL be treated BY LAW regardless of their ability to pay. The "POOR" are quite familiar with this law. Hospital ER's are commonly used as the 'family doctor' by the poor. Liberal do-gooders say this is 'demeaning' to the poor.

2. Non-payment by insurance companies. We have never had in force coverage denied by any insurance company. 10's of 1000's of policies.
That is not to say that companies don't drag their feet and investigate throughly to be sure they should pay a claim. All inquiries by a company are IMMEDIATELY thought to be a denial of a claim. That's part of the problem.
The other part of the insurance problem is the public attempting to save premiums by buying "Schedule of Benefit" policies. That type policy lists various illnesses and procedures and the amount the policy will pay for each different problem. That amount has no relationship to the actual charges. Say the policy stated $12000.00 for Gall Bladder removal. And the charges were $8000.[ VERY unlikely] The insured would receive a check from the ins. co. for $12,000.00. However, in the real world the actual charges would be more around $50,000.00. The ins, co. would still send out a check for $12,000.00. Thereafter the 'insured' will scream to all who will listen that the insurance refused to pay. Premiums on those policies could be $25 to $50 a month for a FAMILY. As an agency we would never write a "Schedule of Benefits" policy despite the clamor from many agents about how many of them they could sell. It is 'junk' insurance.

3. 30,000,000 uninsured in the US. That number is controversial in both its accuracy and whom it supposedly counts. There ARE NOT 30,000,000 US Citizens that are uninsured.

RE: an above post, even if there were 30 million uninsured US Citizens. That would be 30 out of over 300 million so the "MOST Americans are covered," would certainly apply.

One true thing is the there is a gap in LONG TERM CARE. But only in CUSTODIAL CARE, not "Acute" care. Acute care being the active treatment of an injury or illness.

The problems in US Health Care are not in quality of care or of uninsured Citizens. The problems are in skyrocketing costs.
Yes changes are needed, but scrapping a system that works extremely well BUT is very expensive is not the answer. The present leftist proposals want to reinvent the wheel rather than patch a flat tire.