haifagirl,
Rabbi Dr. Tendler didn’t distinguish between Jews and non-Jews, but it would be reasonable that the chiyuv would be on Jews to provide healthcare to all other Jews. So far our community leaders have not done anything about this, in fact, they are busy trying to get the mostly non-Jewish population to provide funding for Jewish schools in America. I can’t see how we can afford to provide health insurance when we can’t pay for our schools.
Bemused,
There is no need for the government to sponsor health insurance for anyone other than those who can’t get it themselves, such as the poor who can’t afford it, those with pre-existing conditions for whom no sane insurer would ever issue a policy, or the elderly whom no sane insurer would ever insure. France and Israel cover everyone with no government programs (although the government does subsidize the cost and regulate the coverage).
Gavra,
You are correct about the desirability of tort reform; there is certainly a Torah right to actual damages but I’ve seen nothing about punative damages. My wife is a practicing physician and she would love to see tort reform! But it is desireable independent of universal coverage, and won’t solve any of the many other problems in our health care system. Texas enacted the most dramatic tort reforms ever but today it has the most dysfunctional health care system in America, with fewer people covered by insurance than any other state. Also, the federal government may have no constitutional authority to regulate damage suits in state courts. You are also incorrect about the lack of pikuach nefesh. While it is true that everyone is entitled to emergency care, people regularly die from chronic conditions because they can’t get non-emergency treatment or medications. It is a shonda that this happens in one of the wealthiest societies in history. And another problem is that someone has to pay for that emergency care, and generally it is those of us with insurance.