universal health care

The bill had to pass by midnight on Monday to have a chance at becoming law this year but its Democratic author didn't put it up for a vote when he realized it wouldn't pass.

As U.S. presidential candidates prep for their next debate, a doctor-to-be asks them, and us all, to remember that even universal access to health care won't fix other disparities that hurt health.

Even with generous health coverage, sizable health disparities persist between Hamburg's wealthier and poorer neighborhoods. Crowding, poor air quality and fewer physicians plague poorer areas.

The idea, they say, would be to eliminate the health insurance industry and replace it with government-run health insurance. The industry is already gearing up to oppose any moves in that direction.

Budgets are tight, wait times have grown and drugs are being rationed. But most of the U.K. believes the advantages of their taxpayer-funded coverage outweigh the frustrations.