Americans, incl. large majority of Democrats, think mandate unconstitutional.

[Jacobtm]

The mandate is in fact an awful idea.

Medicare for everyone, full coverage, and price controls would be much more straightforward and less constitutionally difficult.

[Jacobtm]

One problem that I assume Obama and the congress wanted to deal with before they got sidetracked and enacted the PPACA was the fact that once the baby boomer retirements really start to kick in, we'll have unsustainable deficits under the current system.  I assume that we'll eventually still have to deal with that problem.  It may be that price controls become necessary.

Well every other rich country has LOWER health-care costs than us, so an actual ''government takeover'' of healthcare would help in reducing our expenditures on health.

Price controls are how many countries have standardized the process. All doctors have a price schedule, and whatever procedure, test, or evaluation they do has a pre-set amount that the doctor is reimbursed.

[Jacobtm]

Be careful, that's inductive reasoning at best.  We have exceedingly high health costs for a number of reasons including, but not limited to, the fact that we lead terribly greedy, indolent lives, the fact that we are gluttons, and the fact we insist upon using the extend the lives of a handful of people by a few (very miserable) months or a few (even more miserable) years at great cost.  

Having said that, yes some form of price controls would no doubt alleviate the costs.  It's a tricky business, though.  The Price Theorist in me says that it will lead to shortages in services.

Analyses have regularly shown that something like 20-25% of our healthcare costs are just administrative costs above and beyond the average of what every other rich country pays. Our system has a lot to do with our costs.

Of course, the unhealthy lifestyle most Americans lead has to do with that too, which is a separate issue.

The Price Theorist in you is ultimately wrong. I suggest reading The Healing of America, a book in which the author travels the world to recieve treatment for a bum shoulder, seeing other countries' health-care systems from the inside. Throughout the world, governments put price controls on medical services and the people in those countries have easier access to healthcare than Americans do.

Doctors don't make as much money, insurance companies don't make as much money, the country spends less money on healthcare, and people get better treatment and more access. It's worldwide.

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-America-Global-Better-Cheaper/dp/1594202346