Under the new plan, the Government would save what the private insurers pay.

Do we really want this country's health care system to be run almost entirely by private insurers?

By contrast, private insurers spend more than 10 percent on administration.

Private insurers would likely follow Medicare's lead, as they have on other issues in the past.

To make up the difference, doctors may increase their charges to other patients and to private insurers.

Under the plan, the federal government would pay more to private insurers that take part in Medicare.

Republicans want instead to have the benefit offered by private insurers.

With more than 500,000 such operations a year, that means $5 billion to be paid by patients and their public or private insurers.

But national health insurance would replace our current system of 1,500 private insurers.

Today, private insurers pay doctors more than Medicare does for a given service.