In 18th Century Colonial America private fire insurance companies maintained their own fire fighting squads.  If you were insured, you displayed your insurance company's sign or "mark" on your home.  If your house caught fire, several fire fighting squads would rush to the scene but if you didn't have the insurance mark of one of the squads, they let your house burn down.   This is a 200-year-old example of how private insurance companies were more interested in making money than providing a service.  They still are.  Back then, however, rational thought prevailed and the Colonials recognized it was not a good idea for insurance companies to also control the fire fighting squads. So it was determined that government was better than insurance companies at keeping houses from burning down.   Municipal fire fighting squads were formed and paid for by taxes for the benefit of all the citizens whether their houses caught fire or not. You know where this is going.  Substitute health care providers for fire fighters. We are now engaged in a great debate over whether private insurance companies or a government health care system should determine which fires get put out.  Perhaps we could take a lesson from the Colonials.

Sideblog:  The House is going to vote again to repeal the Affordable Health Care law.  This will be the 33rd time.  You know the famous saying, "Insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."  Does this mean Republicans are insane or should we consider this more political grandstanding.  Or both?