When you're talking about health insurance with your Republican friends or family, here are a set of numbers from Joe Conason that've been talked about often and absolutely need to be committed to memory:
The average overhead cost of Medicare is roughly 2 or 3 percent, far below the administrative costs of private insurers, which range between 27 and 40 percent.
Up to 40 percent of your monthly premium has nothing to do with paying your medical bills.