Kate,

If by "we" you mean you and some of your friends, then maybe you do love the broken system. I, however, have no love for our current health care system. I find it difficult, expensive, and entrapping.

Difficult because I can't go to the doctor I want because I only get one physical a year and on my one physical trip this year, I didn't hit it off with my doctor, but I'm stuck with him for at least one year.

Expensive because my monthly contributions and my co-pay are extremely high. Why? Because I work for a private school. There is no money in schooling and so they need to cut costs where they can. Having minimal insurance coverage is one way to do that.

Entrapping because I really just want to leave the school and get a job on the Capitol Hill. However, everyone up there starts as an unpaid intern. An intern with health insurance. I cannot afford to go without health insurance. I'm not 21 anymore, so I'm stuck in my current job hoping I can make the jump from teacher to staffer without ever being an intern. Fat chance.

As far as the gov't underpaying for Medicare and Medicaid, that's ridiculous. No one requires doctors and hospitals to take Medicare and Medicaid. If they underpaid, that is, they paid less than the cost of the service, doctors would stop servicing them. My father's company in Las Vegas sold off their entire Medicare division recently because they didn't think they could make any money in it.

Now, it is true that private insurance will pay more, but I'm not sure that is a good thing. What is the intrinsic value in paying more more for a service?