David Walker on the federal budget and Health Costs

Hooray! David Walker, former comptroller general of the US Government Accountability Office, is proposing something akin to Singapore's health care system. That country's exemplary system costs 4% of GDP, compared to our 17%.

In Singapore, most health care is paid for from citizens' mandatory health savings accounts. The truly poor are subsidized, and there is a layer of insurance for the big risks that might deplete that account.

The key is that patients control most of the dollars directly. Providers respond with efficiency gains, much lower costs, and great quality.

It's way past time to try it here.