Something that I've talked about for years is the possibility of having 
health cooperatives as a means of getting insurance.  Because they are 
non-profit and member-owned, YOU (collectively) would decide what (and who?) 
the insurance should cover.  Yes, these are getting a little bit of 
attention lately.

But.  I'm not sure this really solves the problem.  Why are healthcare costs 
rising?  Insurance.  Maybe lawyers factor into this to some extent, but the 
real reason is that we HAVE insurance.  When you take your car in to get new 
brakes (assuming you don't do it yourself), they tell you "Oh, you need new 
rotors, yada yada.  $350."  At that point, I say, "I've got a buddy that 
will simply change my pads and it'll cost me $40 plus a 6-pack of beer." 
Ok, you don't want that buddy doing your heart transplant, but the idea is 
the same.  If my auto-insurance covered the $350, would I care?  Heck no! 
Change all 4 rotors, and charge me $700.  Why should I care?

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