Your suggestions are all on point, but problem with compromises in our current political environment is that the powers that be simply won’t give anything up even if it means getting something more valuable.

First, trial lawyers need to accept tort reform (I recall the NYT times editorial asserting this past year that trial costs are “less than 5% of health care costs” – First, that’s a really big number. Second, I think they ignored the cost of settlements, spiraling malpractice insurance and defensive medicine).

Second, insurance companies need to reduce admin costs (I heard you can get a masters degree in how to fill out insurance forms; ever see all the different forms at a doc’s office?) – give them one year to come up with a single form for doctors to use (they should all be looking at the same set of diseases and treatments out there so shouldn’t be hard). Moreover, better regulations regarding how and when they deny coverage (e.g. if it’s a preexisting condition issue, let my current insurance battle it out with my prior insurer, not me). I shouldn’t need a trial lawyer to get the coverage I paid for. Also, we’ll need rock solid regulations regarding privacy to avoid people becoming uninsurable based on unauthorized release private medical info.

Third, customers should have co-pays and incentives to take care of themselves. No one should have an “all you can eat” buffet-style care. For example, unions shouldn’t shut down a factory because they refuse to pay any health care costs (We should eradicate the “slippery slope” argument from both sides – it’s the last resort of a party unable to agree on what is otherwise a reasonable compromise).

Forth, doctors/health, they need to implement current information technologies.

There is no doubt a lot more we can do, but I feel we haven’t given our private health care system a fair chance. If implementing these types of changes fails to work, we should then consider something like national health care.