[stimpee]

i'm about to go to bed, but before i do, here are some brief points:

1. those that can afford health care get it for free on the backs of lower income taxpayers Well, yes people should have access to medical care. Basic human right IMHO. Those that can also not afford health care get it for free on the backs of higher income taxpayers too.
2. government determines all prices and takes care of all medical transactions. we all know government is terribly inefficient. Proof please. check out the current US budget. A budget that has been set and is very inflexible because of the overspending of the previous government. whether you're a left-winger or right-winger you can't deny that there is an ABSURD amount of waste in the government. it is a common practice in many sectors of government to spend money they don't even need so the funding stays at the same level. I dont see your point here. government ends up spending way too much on health care, taxpayers end up paying too much, and the economy suffers Actually, the US government doesnt spend very much on health care compared to the rest of the Western world.
3. there is no system of competition— this means two things, first, prices can be manipulated when there is only one source for a good or service Of course there is competition. There will always be a choice. Companies will always find a way to add value and give something extra that people want. Thats how things work in a free market. and secondly, there is no alternative for those seeking better health care. See previous sentence. say, for example, someone comes down with cancer and is above the age of 65. the government could determine that they weren't worth paying for since they were out of the workforce, and refuse treatment. but get this: you can't just stop paying if you aren't happy with your health care, or if they refuse to pay for life-saving treatments that free-market health care would pay for. you're stuck, your account is still getting drained for health care (through taxes) and you can't afford an alternate I pay out a minimum of $2000 a year for compulsory health care most of which I dont use. I know that if I get really sick, the costs will be absorbed and taken care of. Its how the insurance system works.
4. this is just a personal opinion; it goes against free market principle. it's communism. it's not the government's duty to take over an entire sector of the economy that could be paid for privately. Again, the government is not taking over the entire sector. And the UK has had the National Health Service post-WWII. You pay your "National Insurance" and you get taken care of. It might not be the best (and its not), but they'll take care of you and the option of private health care has always been available and its very popular. AFAIK the UK isnt a Communist state.