Time after time, pundits describe the American healthcare system as “broken.” That some 45 million Americans do not have health insurance is taken as a major societal failure.

Lack of insurance is often confused with lack of healthcare; recently on American Idol’s fundraiser, Simon Cowell claimed that 45 million Americans have no healthcare. But they do. And of the 45 million without insurance are many young people who choose not to buy it.

So how broken is our system?

Despite ever-increasing healthcare costs and widespread dissatisfaction with the U.S. healthcare system, a majority of Americans remain satisfied with what they pay for their own healthcare, the quality of the healthcare they receive, and their healthcare coverage.

Gallup’s annual Healthcare survey, conducted Nov. 11-14, finds 57% of Americans saying they are satisfied with the total cost they pay for their healthcare, while 39% are dissatisfied. These percentages have been quite stable in recent years, after a slight dip in reported satisfaction between 2001 (64%) and 2002 (58%).

Stephen Bainbridge has thoughts on what it all means and why Democrats are backing off their promise of universal healthcare.

And those 45 million? Watch the movie.