The government doesn't actually "have" any money. There seems to be some confusion about this in general. It all comes out of each other's back pockets, and once it has trickled through the red tape and excessive madness of bureau-crazy, it ends up costing a lot more than it should. We never know the true cost of government funded medicine, but I'm going to hunt it down one day and shock everyone. How much are you really paying?

Why do midwives have to be a government funded option? I might be all over a private midwife in a home-birth situation (I voted undecided on this poll for this reason), but as a choice I would never, ever expect anyone else to pay for it.

Public hospitalisation is there for emergencies. A home birth option doesn't fall under the emergency umbrella no matter how you view it. It just doesn't.

Yes, I know how well received a libertarian's opinions are when it comes to health care ... but
kuraiza, you sound just like my DH - true libertarian. Me on the other hand, I figure that if we have to pay tax and have public health care (because that seems to be the way the majority want to go) why not give people options when it comes to birthing? After all, it is our tax money.