I'm for National Health Care

Absolutely. Let me start by saying that I am no way an expert on nationalizing health care. I don't know what HMO means or how single-payer coverage differs from... whatever is something that is different from that would be. BUT I do know:

-In 2008, Americans spent 16% of their GDP on health care - way more than anyone else in the industrialized world. This averages about to $7900 per person, per year. (National Coalition for Health Care)

-That 16% of GDP spent on health care is way, WAY beyond what other industrial nations spend. The average in 2004 was 8.4%. (Montreal Economic Institute, page 3)

-Our current health insurance programs minimize the effectiveness of our dollar spending, which is one reason why we must spend so much more money on heath care to achieve similar, and often less satisfactory, results as other nations. (Harvard Business Blog)

-People love their national health care services. Although European models are used to vilify national health care, you get a much different version of event when you ask the Europeans themselves. (Jay Bookman, WeLoveTheNHS twitter feed)

-IN 2009, medical debt in America is responsible for almost 60% of all bankruptcy filings - a strong indication that our current system is not doing anyone any favors. (American Journal of Medicine via CBS)

And I could keep going, throwing out statistics and studies demonstrating the failure of our current health care system and demonstrating the relative effectiveness of a nationalized health plan. And to be fair, I'm sure opponents can come up with enough counterarguments to support their side (although I can't imagine how they could hold any water).

Most Americans have their insurance through their employer and it is provided at a minimal cost because the insurance provider has guaranteed access to lots of patients (the employees). It's a cost of scale thing. The second reason for low cost employer health care is that health care benefits are tax-free, giving employers an incentive to provide health insurance.

There are two downsides to this system: one, as I outlined above, it doesn't appear to be all that effective. It is still run by large insurance companies looking to turn a profit. Second, if you don't have a job, you're fucked. With the national joblessness rate hovering around 10%, that equates to more than 30 million uninsured Americans. Add to that the number that DON'T receive health care benefits from their job (wage workers, etc.) and you have the approximate 47 million uninsured Americans you hear about on TV. That in turn means a lot of people are royally fucked when something major goes wrong - hence the 60% of bankruptcies due to health costs.

To the best of my knowledge, the main counterargument for national health care is that the government determines what health care is available. Which drugs can be prescribed, what procedures can be given and to whom, etc. This means that if you're 90-year-old grandfather needs dialysis, the national health care isn't going to pay for it - it's not cost-effective to spend tens of thousands of dollars to extend that person's life. And when phrased that way, no politician is going to support national health care. Second, you would see a drop in employers offering health insurance as the tax-free status of those benefits would be removed to help pay for national health care. It is important to remember however that at all times private insurance may be held.

Regardless, I would like to see national health care offer basic preventative care (check ups, dental, vision, infant care) and catastrophic coverage (emergency medicine). Minor to intermediate health concerns could be subsidized but not free. All the money we are wasting on health care should be going into the economy, into our personal lives, and giving us the freedom to spend our money that right-wingers want us to have.

Finally, it is vital that Americans take on some damn responsibility. When it comes down to it, you are most responsible for your health. Eat better & exercise: that's 95% of the health care problem right there. We must be accountable for health just as we must be accountable for our credit card debts, wars, and overspending.