The car insurance analogy helps illuminate this whole healthcare debate. Conservatives (generally) favor a health insurance marketplace that is similar to auto insurance. You can pick anything from basic (catastrophic) to full coverage (Cadillac plan). As with auto, you pay out of pocket for basic maintenance but are covered when the fecal matter hits the fan. With more people paying out of pocket for basic medical care (e.g. annual check-ups) costs will come down because the market will not be so distorted by insurance caps and reimbursement rates. Most people will pay more year-to-year, but that's not so bad because making a regular investment in our own health will, ideally, lead people to lead healthier lives. The poor can still be covered under Medicaid, so the system won't toss those who can't pay out in the cold. I'd like to see the elderly pay for more of their own healthcare, when possible, so that they don't just automatically go to Medicare for everything. And I would even be in favor of some type of government subsidy to help those with pre-existing conditions so that they aren't faced with the prospect of financial ruin because they can't get coverage.
So, in summation, make the health insurance market more like the car insurance market, and we can all get our health coverage from the Aflac Duck. He seems pretty legit.