I thought you wanted single payer? Of any western nation other than maybe Switzerland, Australia is very similar to the current US system.

US healthcare is a combination of public and private insurance and hospitals. Our ratio is about 60-40, theirs 53-47. Australia's tax system to get there is much less "progressive" though. Everyone pays 2% income tax to fund the public system. Business owners do not pay double like they do in the US. And there is no 3.5% "surcharge" to "soak the rich". Everyone pays the same.

There is a mandate. Anyone who makes over $80,000 must show evidence of insurance or pay an additional 1%. Anyone who does not have insurance gets put on to the government "Medicare".

There is no crappy VA or Medicaid system like we have in the US, so that is an advantage.And virtually no med mal.

Of course, anyone on the federal employees insurance in the US already has one of the most generous health insurance policies in the world. Anything else is sure to be a downgrade. That is likely not to be true next year though, as the Obamacare exemption for federal employees from the "Cadillac Tax" is set to expire after 2017.

So yes. Glad you guys are becoming more conservative in your healthcare desires. I could accept the Australian system. As long as people have choices to NOT be forced on government insurance, doctors are not forced to become government workers and as long as paying for it is spread equitably across everyone.