Hey, last time I looked, the US was a democracy. If 43 million people are incapable of exercising their right to vote, god help us all. At roughly 1 million per state, that'd be a decisive chunk of votes.

Trouble is, healthcare does cost money. Most national health services are stretched, and even then they're good-sized money pits. If Joe Politician goes to the polls and says "I'm going to add 10% on your income tax", that's going to make him popular, right? :-/ Especially if he says "it's a liberal socialist policy designed to help the poor", which it is.

I don't blame the healthcare providers or insurance people, any more than I'd blame McDonalds for not giving you free food if you're broke. The problem is a population with an "I'm alright Jack" attitude who won't pay higher taxes for better services, which leads to politicians who won't propose this because it's a vote-loser. I don't think it's a problem at the top, it's a grass-roots problem feeding all the way through. How many of your friends (particularly your Republican friends) would say "yes, tax me some more"?

Graham.