Now that I am within a year or less of retirement, I have been paying a lot of attention to the cost of medical. The COBRA where I work is $1800 a month. I have heart disease and take a pretty good pile of medicine (still run 5 to 6 miles 4 or 5 days a week). Private plans are a little cheaper, but you have to get into the fine print to figure out what they cover and don't cover - if you can figure it out at all.

My wife is Canadain and we seriously considered moving up to Canada because the medical is so cheap. I determined if you don't have a serious disease or anything that requires specialized treatment you would be ok. If you do have problems that require a specialist or certain testing, good luck, wait in line. Private Health is working it's way in to the picture up there so that has to tell you something. Now, factor in the taxes up in Canada and the deal doesn't look so good and it gets even worse when you factor in the cost of living, which is 30% more on average then down here, it just isn't cost effective for a retiree. Too bad, I love Canada.

I applaud Obama for being willing to take this monster on. However, in the end, I believe there will be very little change and with what little change is made, the politicians will declare victory and it is off the agenda. It is just too damn expensive to make a goverment style health plan work and Americans would never stand for the taxes it would take to create and maintain a half way decent health system. There is too much money in it and that money gets used to keep the status quo in place. Insurance companies, after all, are one of the most powerful lobyist in Congress and in the Legislature and that is flat out wrong IMHO.

However, with such a large population of aging baby boomers, many of whom who have warmed up to the idea of more goverment programs, coupled wtih high unemployment, the politicians may not be able to get away easy on this one. Time will tell.

Our current system of providing health care is broken and flat out immoral.