>No blast but a point. I was not alive until the 70s so my "brainwashing" came later.

I'm in the same boat

>To the issue of costs. I'll deal with just 2.
>- Malpractice insurance is at incredible levels. Lawsuits, both legitimate and frivilous, have led to HMOs and private practices having to pay through the nose just to carry enough insurance to protect doctors.
>- Schooling - To become a Dr. One must have 8 years + 3 residency. Only then will they start to repay the debts they've incurred. Figure 5-15 years later they start making the real money. I believe this prohibitive cost structure has led to a greater number of qualified individuals pursuing other careers with a quicker reward structure (lawyers, stock brokers, etc)

>The quality of health care provided in the United States is superior to the rest of the world.

This is not true. General health care is below many european standards as access to health care is much easier and cheaper up here. You are refering to EMERGENCY CARE which indeed the US has done very good.

>If it weren't you'd hear a lot more about Americans leaving the States for emergency treatments.

Many americans do not know much about the world outside of the US.

>Instead there are countless stories of people coming here, be they foreign dignitaries or our neighbors to the north who don't want to wait months for a simple procedure. (According to the Fraser Institute's 2006 waiting list study, the waiting times are continuing to get worse each year.)

True, even up here some people go to the US for procedure that don't get performed here. Most of the times it is about new types of treatments that are not yet done here. The results to vary btw.

>To me that suggests that the capitalist system has produced more advancements and better results over the years.

Better results, It depends how you measure them. If you take into account that life expectancy is lower, infant mortality rates are higher at roughly twice the price of health care in the rest of the western world, you can't make that conclusion: http://www.calnurse.org/media-center/in-the-news/2007/january/page.jsp?itemID=29183288

>We should be able to improve the system here without resorting to the government who can't run anything cost-effectively.

A big assumption that totally ignores that now the big bucks are now getting into the doctors and insurance pockets. How would you explain that in other countries the costs are roughly half of that in the US, providing better health care ?? You americans have the "The government cannot run anything cost - efficient" syndrom. It is not reflected in the worlds experience of hundred of millions citizens accross the world.

>If we improve the conditions in the profession it will attract more qualified people. With more doctors, costs will go down. A comprehansive plan of educational tax-breaks, tort-reform and fast-track FDA approval (which will lead to quicker to-market generic drugs) would significantly lower health costs across the board.

I'm not sure whether that will have much effect. Drug companies want to increase their margin as much as possible, and your treating doctor still has that ferrari in his mind...

Walter,