I want us to come up with something better than the current system that avoids the pitfalls of other socialized medicine systems.

The problem with trying to fix it WITHOUT government input is that the doctors, hospitals, pharmaceuticals companies and testing companies (labs, MRI, etc...) like it just fine as it is. They make bank with little to no control.

I can't see the system reforming itself from within. Medical insurance is a for-profit industry that makes money by dropping people who are sick and denying procedures that save lives.

The government does tend to fuck things up, but who else will tell those riding the gravy train that they need to cut back on the gravy?