Hmm, interesting how from the purpose of government we've focused on medical insurance. There was some thread on the subject few months ago too.

I don't think people who think the government should stay out of it are saying that the current system in US is without problems. Of course they tend to blaim them on government's interference, while the opposite side blames these problems on corporate greed.

At the end of the day the question of health insurance is one about risk management. The bigger the group you cover the better chances you have about managing the risk. But then there is the overhead for administration.

The free market idea is that the overhead costs will be reduced because of the competition. However having smaller groups covered under each plan means higher risk, i.e. higher expenses. That's why insurance companies can and very often do refuse to sell coverage if they believe you will be a huge expense for them (preexisting conditions for example). I mean that's just good business.
US has one of the best medical services in the world, yet they are quite inaccessible. And the cost of healthcare in US is significantly higher than anyplace else. The same way some people come to US for better treatment, some US citizens go abroad to get cheaper treatment.

In any civilized country in which the government administers the health insurance you always have the choice to seek better treatment on your own and at your own expense. The notion that US adopting national health coverage is going to turn it into a 3rd world dictatorship is... let's call it strange.

As far as waiting in line, I have not been to a doctor too often, but I can't remember a single time I have waited less than 30min (yes with apppintment, and yes even for trivial things, like blood work). That is the same wait as in my country which has the lowest standard of living in EU and a health system that is being reimplemented anew. Oh and in 30% of the cases my insurance claims have been processed wrongly, so I had to spend an hour being shuffled back and fort between institutions to find who is responsible for fixing it. The government beurocracy may just make it worse, but all my dealings with US government institutions have been much smoother, including when fixing errors.

But as I said before what role US government will have depends only on the US voters. Perhaps Joe's list is right, but if that's how society evolves, resisting it is pretty pointless.

And to add diversity to the discusion I for one don't see what's the reason for the constitution to empower the federal government with road management - it's not like all humans have fundamental right to highways. If anything the role of the federal government should be in setting common standards among the states, so that they remain coherent federation that's interoperable and not just a bunch of loosely related entities.