Reform: Let's get back on track

Single payer is not socialized medicine. People would be free to pick the health care providers -- doctors and medical facilities -- they prefer. Single payer would, however, eliminate private insurance, saving nearly $400 billion annually on useless paperwork by insurance bureaucracies and providers' billing departments, enough to cover the uninsured and plug the gaps in coverage for those with insurance. No other option will provide universal coverage and save money.

How does our health care stack up against other countries' health care systems? It's not a pretty picture.