Health Reform Without a Public Plan: The German Model

This is an interesting prospect to consider. Non-public health care plans are operational in many European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The idea is sound: people should pay for health care based on their ability to pay, but everyone should have equal access to quality care.

The only problem with a similar plan being implemented in the US is our differing ideological standpoint. In most European countries, for example, homeless people have the right to collect pay checks. That policy would never be acceptable in the US, where pulling yourself up by your boot straps is still a highly valued concept. Private health care based on the principle of "social solidarity" is definitely something for US policy makers to consider, but I'm not sure if ultimately the insurance companies and employers (who would have to cover a large percentage of the costs) will be willing to place social solidarity over their economic interests.