health care proposal gets attention, does not create an NHS

Sen Baucus' proposal includes (from MarketWatch):

Create a new health insurance exchange that would guarantee coverage for individuals and small businesses. They could compare prices between private health plans and a new public option similar to Medicare and use a standardized form to enroll in coverage. Some individuals and small businesses would be eligible for subsidies to offset the cost.

Allow people age 55 to 64 to buy in to Medicare immediately instead of having to wait for their 65th birthday to be eligible

Phase out the two-year waiting period that people with disabilities face when applying for Medicare coverage

Require states to make the state children's health insurance program (SCHIP) available to children at or below 250% of the federal poverty level

Require most employers to make coverage available to their workers or pay into a fund

Require drugmakers and medical device companies to disclose the gifts they bestow on doctors and other providers in an effort to root out bias and conflicts of interest
Invest in health information technology and comparative effectiveness research

We just watched Sicko a couple of weeks ago and until we form an equivalent to Britian's National Health Service, I'm not letting them take my temperature...