Let's take a look back . . . this thread was started by Sawzaw - that's a strike against rational discussion right there.

Then there was this Gust from inSanity post:

Bobert: "Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act is all the Dems could get this time around... By 2024 we will have single payer but...."

NONSENSE!!!..Absolute NONSENSE!! They could have gone for anything they wanted...majority in the House and Senate, President who would sign it, plenty of bribes and waivers...jeez Bobert, you're whole premise is off!
I mean, I guess it means NOTHING to you that the American public doesn't want it...BECAUSE of all the non-related medical shit that is in it..you know, those nasty 'little' pesky intrusions by the government and corporations.

Gust forgets that the "BlueDog Democrats" were working against this as hard as any GOP member. Democrat in name only. DINO. I guess that's what they are. I hope they are all un-elected this time 'round, because they certainly squandered the Democratic majority when it existed. For some reason known only to them.

Then Bobert correctly reminded Gust that

As per usual, GfinS, you once again have forgotten to take your memory pills...

Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman, both Dems threatened early to not vote for anything that resembled single payer... Nelson was just a blue dog with more red than blue and Lieberman the recipient of big donations from the health insurance lobby...

Go back and study your history because you are wrong as wrong can be on this one...

Joe Lieberman is from CONNECTICUT. The MOTHERSHIP of all Insurance Companies. And Nelson is a fool.

Jack the Sailor nailed it with:

I'm beginning to think that the real base of the Democratic Party are the people with functioning long term memories.

Kendall wisely observed:

The only people I have heard say "The whole country does not want Obama care" are republicans, those who already have health insurance, and victims of right wing fear mongers.

Don Firth gave a CLASSIC example of why the health insurance business is corrupt and broken, and Richard Bridge observed

The US medical system is broken - but Obama's moves were a small step in the right direction.

You can't have a civilized society without healthcare.

Bobert came back in and offered a look back at his experiences with commercial (private, for profit) healthcare:

One night I was doodling and figured that since '89 when I went into business for myself that I forked over right at $100,000 in premiums and then tried to think of what I got for it and all I could recall the insurance companies actually paying for was a shingles vaccine which cost them about $100... Other than that??? Nada, zero, zip...

One part of the Affordable Care Act, that the insurance companies hate and why they gave some much money to Dick Armey (FreedomWorks) to organize and fund the Tea Party, is a provision that the participating insurance companies will pay out 85% for health care??? I know... Horrors that health insurers have to pay out for health care...

BTW, the administrative costs for Medicare is less than 3% so you would think that the insurance companies would be happy with more than a 10% profit but 10% is chump change to them...

So down the road the US will have to revisit single payer and adopt it or just give up trying to have a healthy population able to compete globally...

And I think the last word on this should go to Richard Bridge:

Of course the Kucinich single-payer scheme would have been better, but no-one in their right mind could want to continue the traditional US free-for-all under which "living was a thing that money could buy" ( a quote from "All my trials").

It was a lucid and civil conversation when Gust from inSanity wasn't flying off the handle and making unsupported charges. It still comes out a reasonable discussion if you simply skip over her drug-impaired rants.

SRS