We are a long way from socialized medicine in this country, which I would support whole-heartedly. This does not seem to be in the cards for near future policy in the United States. But, there are possible solutions though they may not include all, but help increase the number of insured Americans. One possible solution, although it is not a solution for all, seems to also be painless to all sides of the political spectrum.
What if we had a choice to have a medical credit card versus medical insurance? This credit card could be federally managed and available to people with qualifying credit. Prices for medical care could be based on the negotiated prices that Medicare, Medicaid and the public insurance companies have arranged with the medical providers. This would reduce the cost of care to the uninsured patient by as much as a factor of eight. This is because the providers often charge as much as eight times more to treat uninsured patients. It would insure that the provider could get paid promptly. It would allow the card holders to pay less in a lifetime for medical care if they have good health. If medical care is needed, it would allow the cardholder to pay for it in time. The interest rate on this card could be used to compensate for delinquent accounts. It would make regular medical care for healthy cardholders much cheaper than carrying private medical insurance. After all, if the middle class were charged the discounted rates that the insurance companies are, we wouldn't need medical insurance.
This would far from solve the uninsured patient problem in our country, but it would knock a big chunk out of it. I think it might even decrease the lifetime medical cost of the majority, because the actual medical care will be cheaper than a lifetime of insurance premiums. So, please pick it apart, tell me what you think.