[GertG]

"So long as it is private (probably not for long), our healthcare system will be "the best" -- in terms of quality, but not necessarily cost"

And again a overly broad claim that you don't back up with facts.

Instead of keeping slapping each other over the head with anecdotes - which, to be fair, could only prove my point and not yours, since you made those unqualified claims - let's look at what comparative studies say.

A quick web search gives e.g. [1] and [2]. The general conclusion seems to be that the US health-care system is okay, but certainly not better than that in many other developed countries.

You brought up the "you get what you pay for" argument. In fact, the only thing that stands out for the US system, is its cost. See specifically the second page of [2]. Government costs for health care in the US are higher than in any of the compared countries, even though government spending covers a far smaller part of the total costs.

[1] http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health/july-dec09/insura... [2] http://conversations.psu.edu/docs/calkins_comparison.pdf