Dear Ms. Harrop:

I'm an insurance agent who has specialized in group health insurance for more than 20 years. I believe that government medicine will be a fait acompli within 20 years. By government medicine I mean some form of socialized plan along the lines of those already mandated in most European (indeed, worldwide) countries. My reasoning is this: medical care eventually means life itself to most people. Accordingly, there is no end to the demand for medical care and, consequently, no end to how much could be spent on it. In the long run, the only way to control the national cost of medical care is through rationing. The only entity capable of rationing healthcare is the government. Due the the fact that few Americans are likely to dismiss life-saving medical attention with a "Oh, well, I was due to die anyway." or "No problem, I've always wanted to see heaven." the demand is infinite.
Once we have rationing of healthcare, there will be hell to pay. Americans have evolved into a nation of whining supplicants demanding that they never be exposed to any risk, never suffer any kind of loss, and to have their every whim met. This mentality will not mesh well with a government who tells them "No".