Chris,Re: “We know prevention and early detection of chronic illness saves lives. Let’s start there.”
That’s precisely where David IS starting, that comprehensive health care including good health promotion and preventive care is the humane and sensible thing to do – and that it should be done as cost-effectively as possible.

Frank, So much SOLID DATA DOES EXIST supporting the cost-effectiveness of streamlined financing to provide social insurance coverage for all of us (cradle to grave comprehensive benefits that’s often called Improved Medicare-for-all). It’s not a matter of needing more data or not knowing the optimal reform solution.

The crux of this issue is a matter of “FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL” and the infuriating fact that much of this money trail leads directly from the profit-driven health insurance industry directly into the coffers of politicians.

Our health care crisis is a crisis of political will, not of elusive or unproven policy solutions.

Links to just some of the data: http://pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php/#econ_finance
http://amsa.org/uhc/ http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=401577&#doc401577
http://massdefendhealthcare.org/resources/WHO_2000ReportComparingHealthSystems.htm

“It is important to note that such programs could be worthwhile even if they did not reduce costs, but CBO’s analysis focused on the question of whether those programs could pay for themselves. The proposition that decreased use of acute care services might offset the costs of the screening, monitoring, and educational services in disease management programs is clearly appealing, but, unfortunately, much of the literature on those programs does not directly address health care costs.”

Not only was this study limited to a few specific diseases, but more to the point, no one has demanded that the reform pay for itself.

We know prevention and early detection of chronic illness saves lives. Let’s start there.