[r0s]

1) How efficient is Medicare now? Private healthcare will always be an option. The existing private system would still be very good, and very competitive.

2) You can say the same for private industry.

3) The downsides are taxes. Expand the existing government payer system with minimal logistic cost. Remove the tax burden from employees (or employers passing it on to same) and watch the economy flourish. The biggest risk is to private insurance, which will never fully recover. Some may opt for the nonprofit model.