National Health Service for America? (US Health Care)

The title, though far fatched, is a step in the right direction with Obama's intended reform of the American Health Care System.

In Michael Moore's filmn Sicko, almost fifty million Americans are uninsured and those who are covered are often victims of insurance companies. See Wikipedia entry if you have not seen the film, here.

As Justin Webb points out, it's been promised by Carter, Clinton, even Teddy Roosevelt.

The natural person for health secretary who I would have liked, though perhaps too radical for some Americans to contemplate after the scandal in the Clinton years would have been dear Hilary, now US Secretary of State.

Instead, Obama has plumped for Kathleen Sibelius, as his first choice Tom Daschle has been investigated over his tax activity.

Whatever, whoever is the face of healthcare reform in America's change administration, it is only natural to agree with Webb that paying $629 for"a day of education about diabetes" is indeed, madness.

This, I think beats any privatized-only medicine system argument in the United States considering the rings that the insurance companies will have you run around before they pay your hospital bills. Look at the UK system - you can have your choice of doctors here, where you can go for treatment: I myself am a good example - I travel 100+ miles for my orthopeadic surgery. And at the end of it all, is there really any difference between paying for medical insurance and paying a national health insurance tax?

It's still money spent. And the lesson to learn, is that you spend a lot less to get the treatment you want as well - even breast enlargement and sexual reassignment surgery are offered on the NHS, plus prescriptions. In America, you will pay a hell of a lot more to receive something that is a human right: access to medical care. There should never be a conflict over paying your doctor for treatment and their duty to the hippocratic oath, should there?

So what's next on my to do list?: Watch Sicko again...