Problem: Too many Americans have no health insurance.

We are the world's only industrialized nation that does not guarantee health care to all of our citizens.

Answer: Adopt a mandatory single-payer system.

The Canadian model is far from perfect - I should know; I've seen it in action. But an adaptation may work for us -  we have to try it. While we're at it, we should fold Medicare's Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) into the system. In spite of the joke in my headline, I think that the plan is actually a good idea and it's working well for many, including my 81-year-old mother, who used to buy her drugs from Canada but doesn't need to anymore. The problem is that the plan is too confusing for most people because of the myriad choices that are offered - plus, most private plans don't place enough emphasis on the use of generic alternatives. The only way to make the single-payer system work is to make it mandatory - just like auto liability insurance is.

Problem: Medical costs have skyrocketed.

Access to primary care is too limited. When people, particularly poor people get sick, their only option is usually an expensive trip to the emergency room.

Solution: More primary care facilities and realistic tort reform.

My best friends in Louisville run an all-night primary health care facility for kids. Instead of an expensive trip to the emergency room after hours, parents can call for telephone triage and have their kids examined if necessary. It's a great service, and it saves everyone money - especially health insurers. Do my friends make any money at it?  Not at all. We need to restructure our tax system on such enterprises to encourage their proliferation. Accessible, cost-effective primary health care for everyone will solve the vast majority of our problems.

I have to give Republicans credit where credit is due. I agree with those who say that medical malpractice insurance is crushing our doctors, to the point where some of them are even quitting the business. The practice of "defensive medicine" increases costs in a way that is incalculable. We urgently need sensible tort reform.

Problem: The majority of our lifetime health care costs are incurred during the last two years of life.

For most of us, it's a sad fact.  It isn't a pleasant topic to face, but we all have to confront our own mortality. We now have the technical means to prolong life far beyond what was imaginable just a few years ago.

Solution: Require everyone who participates in the single payer system to sign a living will.