I am perhaps one of the few people out there who disagrees that healthcare needs to be given more money. I think the system itself is already great. I think we seriously need to look at prevention. Let's make free public transit that reduces air pollution (and thus asthma, allergies, cancer) and forces people to walk a block or two to the bus stop, thus providing some exercise. let's subsidize bikes so people can bike to school and work, and then offer tax rebates for those who do (like the Netherlands) If still more money needs to go the health care system, let's tax candy, pop and junk food that does not meet certain health standards. (then devote that money to heath care for diabetes etc.)
And privatize. Medical expenses in countries such as Japan are substantially lower than in North America because of the competitive nature of the business that privatization offers. The hardworking taxpayers of this country should not have to wait in line behind drug addicts, smokers with cancer, non-genetic diabetes patients who developed diabetes as a result of their own bad food choices and people who are obese because of their own bad dietary decisions (assuming they have been given the advice not to do so, and educated that they are threatening their own life by doing these things and have still made that choice to threaten their own health - if they didn't know then we must all offer them compassion). The only exception to the above rule that I see necessary is government subsidies to be made available to those already receiving welfare so that they can have equal access to necessary medical procedures.
This is not two tier, this is just logical. You take care of yourself and something makes you sick, you get good service. If you make intentional decisions even after knowing they will harm your health, don't expect the public to pick up the bill for you. I don't see why people who go to the trouble of eating healthy and getting enough exercise should pay fro the faults of the rest of society. But, in closing, it is perhaps also necessary to mention that the bottom line is that we must, out of human mercy and compassion, still offer a basic health care system to prevent any person from dying needlessly.
We do not have significantly less doctors per capita than most countries. In terms of resources, we are doing fine. new system will encourage people to look after themselves and stop sitting in their idling cars drinking pop. And those who still want to damage their own health will not do so at the cost of others
