One of the popular rejoinders used by some folks, like Scott in this post, is that Republicans (or Conservatives or Libertarians) don't have an alternate plan, and instead are simply calling out "Socialism!" and saying the current situation is fine.  That's a great straw man.  The issue here is that when folks like me suggest solutions to our current health care/health insurance problem, the response by many is that "well, the government doesn't run your solution, so its not a real solution".  And there in lies the communication gap... either real or invented.  I believe that the best solution to our problem does not rely on the government.  Non-government solutions are solutions.

But before I get to far, it's important to examine the reasons why we need reform in the first place... supposedly 47 million people are uninsured.  The problem with most liberals is that they look at the number and decide that there is only one solution to that number, without examining why those people are uninsured, and seeing if there isn't more than one reason.  So who are these people?

14 million are already eligible for a government program (Medicaid, VA Benefits, SCHIP), but haven't enrolled.  Are these people really a problem?  Seriously... you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.  Do we really need to redesign our entire system for a bunch of people who currently can get something but just don't?  More importantly, if we were to do that, why do you think they'd enroll in that new system?  Perhaps their problem has nothing to do with insurance, but something else entirely (like a mental problem).  Perhaps the issues is simply one of educating them, and making them aware of their eligibility.

9.1 million people have household incomes over $75,000.  They could easily afford health insurance, but choose not to.  So the current health insurance system is perfectly adequate for these people as well, but they'd rather take their chances and buy an extra iPod, or go on a vacation to Mexico.  Should we really change our entire system just because some people are making a choice about insurance I would not?  There are even many people who are simply young and healthy enough, where they don't go to the doctor, and feel that they'd rather pay for any small medical problems that come about if they do (like broken bones).  That's not really a problem, but rather a value judgement that they ought to be able to make.

Between 3 and 5 million people are uninsured for less than 2 months while between jobs.  For these people, the problem isn't so much that the current health insurance system is inadequate, but that it's not portable, because it's tied to a job.  That doesn't mean that a government solution is required.  It simply means that we need to find a way to disconnect health insurance from employment.

9.7 million people who are uninsured aren't citizens.  We don't know a lot about their income status, but I believe that many people (including me) aren't willing to revamp our entire system to accommodate them.

That means that only about 10 million people are chronically uninsured, and unable to get insurance in the current system.  It is important to get the real number, because knowing the true scope of the problem allows us to design a solution which adequately solves it, while not disrupting the lives of the more than 294 million Americans who currently have heath insurance.  I've actually discussed the solution to this crisis before.  I'll summarize the solution here, but read that post for the full details.

1. Abolish employer sponsorship of insurance
2. Allow insurance to be purchased by individuals with pre-tax dollars
3. Remove all restrictions on HSA purchasing
4. Remove insurance mandates

The only steps required for the government in order for this plan to be implemented is to have certain regulations and tax laws be repealed.  This plan allows individuals to have maximum control over their lives, and make decisions for themselves about what is most important when spending their money.  This will also allow insurance to be more portable, since it is not tied to a job, just like home owners insurance or car insurance.

So stop saying that we don't have a real solution... it's just not a government solution.

Update: I changed the number number of people who have health insurance. I came up with my original number using what I thought was the U.S. population without double checking the number. Thanks to Joel for pointing out the goof.