I would like to see a patient-driven health care system. That is, a system that puts the patients as the top priority rather than the bottom-line of a big-business. This doesn't mean free-spending. It simply means slightly different priorities than we have now. Patients and their nurses, practitioners, and physicians would work together for what's in their best health interest rather than what saves an insurance company money.

As part of a Birdgirl-constructed health care system, I'd like to have a much stronger emphasis on preventive care and health maintenance, meaning coverage for routine visits and emphasis on health-positive life behaviors such as eating healthy and not using tobacco. We'd do lots of education about these sorts of things and begin that with children as part of their earliest schooling. We'd also work very closely with educational institutions to get them back on the bandwagon of healthier school lunches, nutritional education, and the restoration of physical education at all levels.

There are lots of other things I'd add, but these are the most important, I think, to our long-term health success (and cost-savings).