I have to agree with Gretchen (Grace) - there is good and bad in every system.

I too am on Medicare and a supplemental private insurance, and those combined cost me a little over $200 per month. With both of those, I have no out of pocket that I have to pay - ever! What Medicare doesn't pay, the supplemental picks up the balance. However I have no prescription coverage since it is quite expensive, and doesn't even cover full cost. For what few meds I take, it's a whole lot cheaper just to pay it on my own, and can get great prices thru Sam's or Canadian pharmacies. Even my brother who takes a pharmacy worth of meds, finds it cheaper thru Sam's or Canada than to carry prescription coverage here.

I cannot fathom having to wait months, or longer, for a non-emergency procedure. The longest I ever waited for a surgical procedure was a couple of weeks, and diagnostic tests such as an MRI or CT Scan, just a few days - blood tests no wait - just walk into the lab and it's done right away. Doctors are plentiful with no real wait for an appointment, and I can go to any doctor of my choice without any referral being necessary.

So even tho I believe that our system in the U.S. has many flaws and in need of fixing, I still prefer what I have over what some other countries have. This country needs to find a way to cover all of it's people that want to be covered. If you don't want insurance, then that's fine, but for those that desperately want and need it but can't afford it, there needs to be some kind of solution.