Here's an interesting study of Sen. Ron Wyden's plan to provide health care insurance for all Americans. It estimates that the plan would slow the growth of health care costs by nearly 1 percent, a reduction in total health care spending (public and private) of about $1.5 trillion over ten years. You can agree or disagree with Wyden's plan (I think it relies too much on private insurers and doesn't go far enough to control costs). What's inarguable is that providing more health insurance would control costs in a moral and effective way.