GunPlumber, national health care has worked for half a century in Europe, paid for by the taxpayer - and what they pay in health care taxes is about half what we pay in insurance premiums. This is thoroughly documented.

Health care is accessible for everyone, without charge or with minimal charge, throughout the EU and Japan and many other countries. No one asks for your insurance card, or sends you a whopping bill. No one puts off treatment because they can't afford it. And the quality of health care is excellent.

I'm not going on hearsay, GunPlumber; I am an EU citizen as well as an American. I have experienced emergency health care in Scotland, England and France. My wife had elective surgery in Scotland. In central London I was able to walk unscheduled into a hospital emergency room and be examined by an MD and X-rayed within 45 minutes. There was no charge for the treatment. In Paris I was treated within 20 minutes. In both places I was given prescription drugs that cost less than $20. Good luck having that prompt treatment in an American ER (unless you're having a heart attack).

In Scotland, I could always see my doctor within a week - in Minnesota I have to wait anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks for an appointment. My wife has had to wait as long as 3 months to see her gynecologist. Meanwhile, we have American citizens getting sicker, or sometimes even dying, because their insurance company won't approve needed treatment. Isn't there something weird about a health care system where the insurers who pay for medical treatment make more money if they deny your claim?

We don't need to invent national health care - there are many successful working models already out there that are delivering better health outcomes than ours does, and at half the cost. Unfortunately, our politicians in both parties get so much cash from the health insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies, they're afraid to do anything for America's health without protecting the profits of those industries.

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