Too right lamb, too right (LOL, double entendre here). Anyway, I agree with you. The ruination of health care in the US started under Lyndon Johnson when government got involved in health care for the elderly. That is when everything to do with medicine skyrocketed in price from year to year.
I say drop all insurance for outpatient care and see the prices of doctor visits drop too. There will be a time most of us cannot afford to go for doctor visits, but then, with decreasing patient visits, doctors would be forced to drop their charges for outpatient care. Supply and demand would enter the picture once again.
Next drop all drug coverage for everyone (no insurance, private or government). Watch drug companies drop prices as they will be forced into it. Once these areas are righted then start doing something about hospital costs. Not sure how to tackle that issue, but there has to be a way.
People used to pay their doctors out of their own pocket as most doctors charged prices most people could afford. Doctors had to do this or go out of business. Being a doctor should not guarantee that one makes enough money to be wealthy (many of them become rich, often undeservedly because the least competent receive the same mandated amount of money as those who actually deserve to make more). If doctors do not need to hire staff to fill out insurance forms they will save there too and be able to charge less.
If government health care becomes the rule medical costs will only continue their upward direction, only instead of just paying for your own care (who do you think will be paying taxes for this "free" care after all) you will also pay for those who do not contribute anything to the tax system. And taxes will increase for everyone who pays them, not just for the rich. I know how many folks have extra money lying around to pay them (
) .