Unfair competition isn't really competition, is it?  I'm having some trouble with that logic (or lack thereof).  And it won't bring costs down, either.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure that you or someone else will gladly do so), but I don't think I've ever seen a government program that ever actually came in under budget.

As far as GOP alternatives, there have been at least five Republican-backed proposals and one bi-partisan Senate proposal.  The first was the Patient's Choice Act, and was sponsored by four GOP senators this past May.  It would have essentially shifted $300 billion in annual tax subsidies from employer-based plans to individuals in the form of tax credits to buy insurance or invest in Health Savings Accounts.  In fact, the Congressional Budget Office back in November released a cost analysis of the latest GOP proposal and concluded that it would, in fact, reduce premiums and cut the deficit by $68 billion over the next ten years.

I don't see how you can say that the Republicans have "only expended effort to kill any kind of reform."

Regards,
Scott Perry