John P,

First of all, just about everything you have stated I have also stated at one point or another...

Where we disagree is that I believe we needed something - anything - even if it isn't perfect to jump start our nation's ability to try to fix a problem...

The Affordable Care Act is a start and, sure, I have said over and over that we will one day join the current century with a single-payer system... I have even predicted that by 2025 it will be in place...

There are some little known provisions in the ACA that are good... One that gets no public attention but is the reason that the health care insurers have thrown $100Ms at the Tea Party is that they will have to pay out 85% of the premiums in actual health care folks brought into the program... The health care insurers hate, hate, hate this provision... Medicare operates with less than 2% administrative costs yet the insurance companies are sickened at making 15%??? Where the hell else can you get guaranteed 15% on your money??? They won't tell US just how bad they are sticking US now but its alot!!!

That one provision by itself will reduce costs... Here's another aspect... If you have insurance the provider and the insurer have set reimbursement rates for various procedures, right???

So if you have insurance then your insurance company pays $1000, for instance, for a endoscopy and everyone is happy... If you don't have insurance - or have a high deductible - the cost for the same procedure is $2700??? Under the ACA with everyone insured that endoscopy is going to be $1000 for everyone... Bottom line: reduced cost of health care...

Like I have said, the ACA ain't perfect but it's better than nothing and is a small step forward for a very backward thinking nation...

As for the bickering??? Yeah, I could do without it... I would much rather be talking ideas and policy then having to defend myself from being mentally ill or whatever for the crime of paying attention to stuff and reading long articles in Washington Post daily so I have knowledge of what is going down... In other words, being educated... I know, horrors!!! An elitist!!! An eastern pinhead liberal!!! LOL...

B~