No medical system will ever be completely satisfactory; the cost of modern medical technology is too dear, and human error is too common. Add to this the growing attitude that good medical care is a right (despite the fact that it is absolutely clear our constitution provides no material rights), and frequent dissatisfaction is guaranteed.

There will always be people who cannot afford insurance, indifferent people who can afford it but are not realistic enough to buy it, and ignorant people who are unaware of the need for it. But I think that what we have now may be the best we can do, provided we monitor the system to control, as much as possible, abuses due to greed and dishonesty.

Robert M. Miller, DVM, is an author and a cartoonist, speaker, and Veterinary Medicine Practitioner Advisory Board member from Thousand Oaks, Calif. His thoughts in "Mind Over Miller" are drawn from 32 years as a mixed-animal practitioner. Visit his Web site at http://www.robertmmiller.com.