> the government deciding who lives and dies creeps me out
How is that any different than Acme Insurance deciding who lives and dies? And as far as the government is concerned, it's your fellow Americans deciding.
It's different because you can alternatively decide to patronize Beta Insurance.
Don't take that as an argument that insurance is perfect, just as a response to your question about how it's different -- the reason people are more concerned when it's the government making decisions is that there's no recourse.
Patronizing Beta Insurance once your dead is difficult. =) Acme insurance denies my claim, getting Beta suddenly becomes difficult if not impossible. With no public option, I have no other recourse.
Living in Canada, I've never had to deal with the government making decisions, it's always been the doctors. Their is a base line, and you can still get private insurance and go to privately run facilities. You make the distinction too black and white in your original post. You can have a public and private insurance.
It's funny. My wife, a Canadian, talks with my sister-in-law, and has some family down in the US. Sometimes they bring up health insurance issues, and my wife is flabbergasted at the lack of... well... anything. The sheer number of services provided here is overwhelming, and this includes preventative services.
Presumably, you base your decision on which to patronize on whether they are screwing over other customers -- it's also difficult to stop eating at Poisoned Hamburger once you're dead.
I think you're confused a little -- I'm not the OP, so I'm not the one proposing a false dilemma between single-payer and free-market. In fact, in the US we have both, and we just got a nice new law that enshrines the worst features of each.
As for your first point, screwing over the customers: I've never known an insurance company to not screw over customers to some degree.
Anyways, this is all besides the point, because regardless of the insurance company you patronize, their is someone making a decision on your insurance claim. Whether it's the government, or some private agency, their is still someone who has to sign off.
So yeah, someone can just Beta instead of Acme, and it won't change a thing.
Edit: And the final straw, you assume insurance companies will insure you. It's not just about choosing your insurance plan. You have to be allowed to take the plan as well.
> Living in Canada, I've never had to deal with the government making decisions, it's always been the doctors.
Oh really? The doctors decide whether the pharmacy has a given drug? The doctors decide how many doctors are available in a given area? The doctors decide what equipment is in a given hospital, where the hospital is, etc?
> My wife and I also have a say, though we usually take the advice of the doctor. So, between us and my doctor, yes, 100%.
You and your doctor decide whether the pharmacy has a given drug? You and your doctor decide how many doctors there are in your area? You and your doctor decide what equipment your hospital has?
Realistically, most people do not have choice in insurance providers. You get what your employer offers. If you're lucky you might get to choose either an HMO or PPO type plan from either of two different companies. If you're unlucky, you just get whatever your employer chose for you.
Don't take that as an argument that insurance is perfect, just as a response to your question about how it's different -- the reason people are more concerned when it's the government making decisions is that there's no recourse.