Indeed, you are correct, I wasn't thinking about the fact that it's a state level responsibility. So devolve the whole thing to the states, and leave it be.
After all, the GOP are big on the Constitution, so stick with it.
Thank you very much for that response. I credit you with being somebody who actually listens, instead of just reeling off a pre-memorized line.
I've got no problem with Canada's solution to health care for Canada (not that it'd be any of my business anyhow). But, as I'm sure you're aware, the the countries of the EU use several different models, from single-payer to mandatory-insurance schemes. Australia uses the public option. Japan includes medical price controls. There are LOTS of good ideas out there.
Further, half of our population is already on government-provided or government-paid health care. How do we fold all those programs into the new health-care system?
Lastly, like Canada, we have huge variations in terrain, transportation, and population density. In Arizona, for example, the big health-care issue isn't so much the care, it's getting people to the care. Just as a health-care solution based on Toronto circumstances isn't likely to work out well for Yukon, a solution based on Philadelphia probably won't work real well in Wyoming.
I see the U.S. in some ways like the EU. Very large population, semi-sovereign states, and a huge variation in population, size, density, and wealth among the states. So, even setting the Constitutional issues aside, why not let the states experiment? Might generate some good ideas which could be emulated. And as I said, everybody would still be covered, with the small fraction of the population that spends considerable time in more than one state as a minor issue.
And best of all, you'd automatically get cost savings. Having the states collect the money through taxes and spend it is necessarily more cost-effective (in terms of lower administrative overhead) than having the Federal government collect the taxes, and then dole the money out to the states.
In addition to the Constitutional issues, it is simply good management to resolve problems at the lowest level possible. It's more effective and generally more efficient.
