Comment by SteveNuts

> relies on a true free market, which healthcare definitely isn't.

I think this is the part that people miss the most. When a purchasing decision is made based on something like "who has the best quality shoes in price range X", competition can occur.

When the buying decision is "will I live or die", there's not really any choice made there. Couple that with the complete lack of transparency for how much a give procedure will cost, and you've strayed so far away from a free market that it's not even recognizable.

I mean, even the hospital can't even remotely accurately tell you how much something will cost before you actually get a bill...