How bad is the health care crisis in America? What can be done to fix it? Are you one of the growing number of uninsured? Could you become one? How can the richest country in the world be allowing this crisis to continue?

It's not just the poor and unemployed that are living without health insurance...it could happen to any of us. You can see a map showing the percentage of uninsured in each state at Informed Voters (my political blog).

Personally, I think the introduction of HMOs in the 80's, marked the beginning of this problem. Not that the concept of HMOs isn't great, it's the increased power that the insurance companies have gained with HMO's that is the problem. The insurance companies have systematically taken power away from doctors, hospitals, and patients...and given it to themselves. What they do with this new-found power is make money for shareholders, with little regard to anything (or anyone) else.