One of the underlying assumptions from the greedy, stupid Republicans is just to do nothing and keeping the present system.  The Times points out that doing nothing is a possibility but it is impossible to keep the present system.  Further, the article details the lost opportunity by not having done health care reform decades ago, e.g. during Nixon or Clinton administrations.

I have pointed out before that President Nixon was not such a bad President.  He was amoral with his dirty tricks and corruption but his policy wasn’t that bad.  He proposed nearly universal health care and ended the Vietnam war — both of these would caused him to be disavowed by current Republicans.  Nixon even froze wages and prices during his administration in a basic fuck capitalism moment.

The President that really screwed up America is unquestionably Ronald Reagan — an actor with limited education who believed in a bankrupt ideology.  He began the huge deficit spending … the national debt was increased by almost 200% under Reagan.  He began the concept of unpaid tax cuts — cut taxes without cutting spending.    Reagan introduced the concept of ‘starving the beast’ and today is the logical consequence of such an idiotic policy.  The idea was to keep cutting taxes without cutting spending and EVENTUALLY (that would be now) the country would have to cut SPENDING.  However, even today Republicans are not willing to specify which programs should be cut … military? no …. social security? no … medicare?  no … The Republicans don’t want to cut anything significant because of the electoral implications.  Thus, Reagan’s policy translated into cutting taxes and watch the country go bankrupt.  Way to go … Reagan.

America is Doomed.