Nationalized Healthcare a Plus for Chauffeured Car?

My feelings are clear about our ever-expanding national government who wants all of its citizens to come begging for support. I would first like to say that the proposals for Nationalized Healthcare on the table are an absolute atrocity and will most likely not pass in Congress. However, I was in the car yesterday, sitting in the greatest rush-hour traffic of Houston, thinking how many small sized companies, including Nikko's, are in the chauffeured car industry, and out of all of those, how many have health coverage for their employees.

I furthermore disagree with the term Nationalized healthcare. For one, it sounds like something from France. Two, when a total system is "nationalized," goverment has a history of screwing things up. Its a fact. I feel strongly that a public option health insurance be available with limited benefits and small premiums that relatively anybody could afford. Similar to Medicaid/Medicare, just opened up completely to the public. However, do not make this plan competitive to the better insurance plans out there. This would continue to drive the healthcare industry engine by making people want to trade up to better plans with companies like Aetna or BlueCross/BlueShield. On top of this, the authority for this should be turned over to the states with financial backing from the federal level. This would let each individual state better tailor benefits to the needs of the citizens.

I also feel that the states, as set forth by the federal government, should require people to buy health insurance, much like we are required to buy car insurance. This now gives people a more affordable option, for those who could not afford it before or did not want it, the opportunity to obtain a minimum amount of health insurance. I have to agree with the comments that President Obama has made that healthcare is costing the nation too much when it comes to the uninsured. I still feel, however, the governement should not be in the healthcare business like it has said, and private insurance is still the best bet for Americans.

I would also like to add that the proposal to tax insurance benefits of corporations is a huge mistake, however it is a catch-22. The governement knows that if it were to make it less desirable for companies to offer benefits, they will stop offering them, thus the companies dropping their programs and then leaving the employee's only option for healthcare with the government. For the companies who decide to continue the benefits, the taxes will help pay for the huge government spending that is now occuring. All I'm asking is for a little sanity. This all goes back to this terrible stimulus package (read "spending bill") and lack of funds to finance it. The government needs all the money it can get.

Back to my original point, I feel that there does need to be a public option for health insurance. Not everyone can afford a PPO, but for those who do not make enough to even afford an HMO, and for the small business who cannot afford to provide benefits, there do need to be options.