Ok, Still thinking about politics. But don't worry, some customer or coworker will piss me off soon and there may be more call center hijinx that will ensue..(ok, that just sounded so lame it was almost funny in a cynical ironic way, better adjust the meds...)

I have been thinking for sometime how this country needs health care available to everyone. I don't think extending medicare is the right idea, but there has to be some way those working for minimum wage can get insurance. Our country is so afraid that abled bodied people may get government benefits they have effectively screwed a large portion of those who are working.

I have worked at many "Joe-jobs" and can tell you how ineffective it is to allow employers to handle covering our health care needs. At one place I payed more than to the company in insurance for me and my wife than if I would have bought insurance from an agent like Allstate or State Farm. At another place after I had been hospitalized a couple of times in a year, the controller came and asked me if I thought anything else would happen to me medically because of the costs that were passed on to them. On and on it goes. I have heard of some places that will give you a higher starting salary if you opt out of their insurance.

Ranting aside, I have the beginnings of a plan for national health care and how to raise the minimum wage at the same time-comment below-I am sure there are some holes in the plan or things I did not consider.

1. Take the burden off of employers to provide healthcare. Insurance premiums will be deducted from paychecks and sent to government.

2. There will be a very small tax to employers to cover the government's administration cost of providing healthcare.

3. Employees will have the chance to pick a HMO or Insurance based on what they are able to pay.

4. The Government will administer and pay the premiums collected through payroll taxes. The government will also be responsible for examining any abuses or bad service by the insurance companies.

5. There will be a HMO style benefit available to everyone whether they are able to work or not, but everyone gets the ability to choose which plan and which company to ensure there is competition and plans that are appropriate to your needs.

6. Employees will have the option of switching companies once a year to further encourage good customer service.

7. Since the employers are not saddled with providing health care, there will a sizeable increase in the minimum wage, $.50 to $1.00. This still dwarfs in comparision to what some companies are paying for health care now per hour per employee.

8. Another option instead of the one time raise is that the minimum wage will be examined and increased yearly according to a formula that factors in inflation and market forces, not according to legislators.

It's not a perfect plan, but it is better than what we have now. The perfect plan does not exist. This is not extremely anti-business, and may be more efficient than a totally state-run healthcare system like in Canada.