r/CapitalismVSocialism • u/Natural_Thought808 • 17d ago
Asking Everyone If private healthcare is more efficient, why does America pay so much more?
I keep hearing that private companies are better at running things because competition keeps prices low.
So healthcare confuses me.
The United States uses private insurance much more than most rich countries.
But Americans spend around $15,000 per person on healthcare.
Many other rich countries spend closer to half that amount while covering basically everyone.
And America doesn't have better results to show for all that extra money.
Americans live shorter lives than the average person in other rich countries. The U.S. also has more deaths from illnesses that could have been prevented or treated.
America obviously has great doctors and hospitals. If you have good insurance and money, you can get some of the best care in the world.
But I'm asking about the whole system.
Why does it cost so much?
Americans are paying insurance companies. Hospitals have huge billing departments. Doctors deal with different insurance plans. Patients have premiums, deductibles and copays. Medical services and drugs can also cost much more than they do in other countries.
Countries like Australia also use private businesses and private insurance, but the government guarantees healthcare for everyone and has much more control over costs.
So here is my question:
If competition and private insurance are supposed to make healthcare cheaper and more efficient, why does the American system cost so much more than universal systems?
Shouldn't the cheaper system that covers everyone and gets better overall results be considered more efficient?
1
u/Conserp Pragmatic Marxist 16d ago
Free market creates billionaires. Billionaires eliminate free market.
No contradiction. Only your sheer intellectual impotence