I really don't understand the thinking behind the various health plans that are floating around now. You tell people they have to have coverage. If they don't you punish them. If you're poor you can jump through hoops to prove you're poor and the gov't will subsidize you.
All this stuff just provides an extra layer of complexity and bureaucracy. Even if you aren't cutting private insurers out of the game, there's a way to go from A to B in a straight line. Just sign everyone up for a goddamn health plan - or let them choose from a menu - and pay for it out of taxes. Poor people will pay less because, you know, they pay less in taxes. Rich people will pay more. Same result, it just cuts out all the dancing on the way there.
