If we can't have a single-payer system we should have price controls for medical services.
As of 2011, 27 countries had higher life expectancies than the United States. 23% of the federal budget is spent on healthcare for a system that benefits hospitals, clinics, providers, drug companies and insurers, but not the American People. A report issued 1/9/13 by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine compared 16 "peer countries": Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The United States lags behind the others in infant mortality, homicides, teen pregnancy, drug-related deaths, obesity and disabilities.