Huge proponent of socialized medicine here. Lived under it for 18 years. It works. You are utterly correct when you say the "buyer" has no idea.

American "healthcare" is a sham in many ways. It's the only "transaction" a person enters into whereby you have zero idea of the final costs. I buy a car, I can negotiate and know before I sign. Ditto a house. Medical care in the US is designed to make money. Full stop. Not long ago, maybe even here on HN, an article was posted about American hospitals trawling the Internet for every bit of info they could glean about patients to both see if they would be monetary donors, as well as to ascertain if they were hiding their "wealth". This is what results from a for-profit system.

I have always believed that healthcare is a basic human right. I will never change my beliefs on this point. Profit and healthcare are mutually exclusive. When a cancer patient is literally refused treatment because a) their "health insurance" runs out or b) they cannot afford to pay, the system is morally bankrupt.

A friend of mine has a family member who needed a helicopter ambulance to save his life, as his accident was rural and he would have died. The 15-minute flight was almost $60k and they were billed for the full amount almost overnight. Insurance did not cover this. Another friend had a seizure and an ambulance was called, and the ensuing ride took about 10 minutes. Cost for the ambulance ride? $1200. This was in addition to the medical care, which in this case only paid 80%, even after deductions, etc.

Anyone who defends for-profit healthcare for reasons of "I'm not paying for others' mistakes, etc." is being short sighted. There is no way a cancer doctor should be making millions off the back of dying patients, many of whom have cancer through no fault of their own. Even smokers deserve compassion, because addiction is a beast that many play hell getting out from under. So many factors at play here. It's easy to sit back and play moral general, but unless and until it's you or yours, it's an entirely different animal.

We could easily afford single-payer in the US. The numbers being tossed out by various mouthpieces are intentionally misquoting to support the lobbyists and their ilk.

Many of you may know that almost all hospitals lease their equipment. The leases are not that expensive for most stuff, even MRI and like equipment. For the prices charged, they have paid their leases in full after less than a week, yet they charge for all manner of false bullshit, and I quote from personal experience:

"Mucous recovery system: $120" WTF is that, you may ask? After deciphering the code by obtaining a medical billing handbook, it turns out this is a box of Kleenex.

I'm 50 and I refuse to go to the doctor unless I have either an infection or I have to go because life demands it. Eat right, brush your teeth, exercise, and call it good. I cannot afford the insurance, deductibles, co-pays, additional money always being asked for, plus RX costs. Not everyone has the money for the sham that is American healthcare. When I do go, I go the low-income clinic, pay cash and get as good or better care than the expensive places. Remember, massive debt in America is largely brought on by medical crises.