I question your percentages and your motivations here.
Percentages? That is the figure that is 'out there' at least 40% uninsured.
Motivation? Just the fact that there seems to be an explosive environment of people criticizing Congress and the President - well, it is easy to criticize, but let's see some solutions.
The fact of the matter is that some procedures are highly expensive - heart surgery, cancer treatment, joint replacement, even smaller procedures can cost a fortune the way things are now. So, should they be shared out sort of like ordinary insurance. You pay so much per month with a deductible, and even if the accident costs a huge amount, say $100,000, it is amortized among all the insured. A small percentage have accidents each year, but everyone is paying through their premiums.
I believe some progress has been made recently in getting costs down, but there seems to be a long way to go. Hospitals have agreed to cut costs, and insurance companies have agreed to allow people to be insured with preexisting conditions and not canceling if a condition arises. Most of this seems to come through a fear of the gov. taking over in the health care industry, and is this because they have seen already what it will lead to? or perhaps they don't want to have their bottom line compromised.
In New Zealand, if you are injured on the job, you don't immediately file court action against the company - it is worked out so that the state pays your medical expenses and, I believe, some sort of compensation. There are none of the huge legal awards or expenses.
Northshore _paul seems to have another good idea and that is to insure the big items and let the patient pay for prescriptions and minor things like x-rays etc.
Heard recently of a U.S. citizen taking advantage of low care joint replacement in Thailand. He went there, was picked up at the airport and taken to a sort of resort like hospital, his joints of both knees competently replaced and allowed a short time to recuperate under pleasant circumstance, then flew home with new, working joints and no apparent problems. So, is this going to be a trend, like making automobiles overseas, doing medical procedures overseas also? Interesting, isn't it, how companies price themselves out of the market.
It seems to be the big ticket items that are of concern and causing bankruptcy.
But it is this vociferous outcry, probably by the uninsured, going against any and all ideas where governments are concerned and calling it socialism, but not coming up, I don't think, with any logical alternatives. But then, maybe Ace is right, we don't need any - seems to me there is a crises in health care costs in the U.S. and how to pay for them.