Last year my wife spent about 3 hours in an emergency room with stomach pain. She spent most of the time on a gurney in the hallway, and the bill was over $10,000, for tests and examinations that in the end were all inconclusive. Our share, after insurance, was $1,600, and we paid over $1,200 per month premiums for that insurance. The insurance companies have allowed, even encouraged the doctors to order and perform the most expensive tests/exams in order to maintain income levels that are not sustainable.

I am a health care provider myself (practicing optometrist), and I favor a national health plan covering everyone, with a sliding and adjustable annual deductible. The sliding part would be from zero for low income people to, say $500,000 for the very wealthy. The adjustable part would be that the deductible formula can be easily adjusted to fit ANY federal budget level. An important part of any such national plan will be no reimbursement by plan or by patient for any tests, exams and procedures that are determined to not have been medically necessary. A doctor will usually elect NOT to do procedures that he/she knows will probably result in zero income.