Cost conscious nutrition is definitely possible, but sometimes good food takes a bit of work and willingness to cook.

i still see you as willing to trust insurance companies to handle bargaining. while im not crazy about regulations, I think that is the only way I would allow insurance in the ring again, since they have proven themselves duplicitous.

Insurance companies are still, at the end of the day, a business, which is all about profit. Ethically I feel like profit has no place in health care. Salaries and costs paid, ok, but a business whose end game is making shareholders rich and upholding doctors and pharmas exorbitant fees - thats not about taking care of people, its taking care of the players. that needs to be taken out of the equation.

While single payer may have issues, the benefits imho outweigh the issues we have now. Single payer emphasizes prevention and makes the patient somewhat responsible for their own day to day care. You seem to be under the illusion that without competition there is no advancement or improvement. I disagree. I think the only way to improve is to throw out "for profit" motivation and concentrate on efficiency and education. Keeping citizens dependent and beholden to a system that is profit motivated does them no favors.

I would rather wait a month for an appointment (I usually wait 2-3 weeks anyway) and have the peace of mind knowing that I can afford what I need to function physically. Right now, that isn't the case and as time goes on, I don't see the free market making it any more affordable. Rather I see free market leading to monopolies and putting independent doctors out of business.