Universal health care is a bad idea

Universal health care is a bad idea, much like most government programs. As stated before, once the United States institutes a program like this, it will be subject to all the bureaucracy that condemns all other federal welfare programs. Why not institute legislation to cap healthcare costs, trim fat off of government spending, dissolve federal programs, eliminate federal welfare and then go back to a monetary system that means something? People would have the money to pay, hospitals wouldn't suffer because they're essentially at the service of the government (which runs everything into the ground), and in the end people would pay for quality healthcare - at an affordable rate.

While I haven't lived in a country with this program, I have been in the military, where we're covered under one of the worst insurance providers ever, Tricare. We don't pay, but the hospitals and services provided are substandard. I would rather be paid more so that I could pay out of pocket for a better medical plan with access to modern facilities.

If it also falls the way of the military, I would be cautious of substandard providers as well. In the military, if a provider makes an error and injures you, you have no recourse in the way of malpractice. The provider is known as an agent of the government and military personnel are forbidden to sue. Malpractice claims are often unneeded, but some are legitimate. Many times, providers become accustomed to living without the worry of malpractice claims and aren't as thorough or as professional as they should be. This sort of thing breeds apathy and if this is a policy of universal healthcare, I would caution everyone against it. I would also encourage you all to read the libertarian platform and ponder the results of their visions.