It's unclear what the point of this article is supposed to be other than to stoke outrage at the 1% who get premium treatment while the rest of us proles suffer

It's unclear what the point of this article is supposed to be other than to stoke outrage at the 1% who get premium treatment while the rest of us proles suffer 'normal' healthcare. It's almost as if all of a sudden having money buys you nicer things, as it always has for all of history, including in the healthcare systems of every other nation. In developing countries like China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, there are entire parallel healthcare systems for the wealthy and connected to get high quality care and when such care isn't available, they travel to richer countries or hospitals that cater to foreigners in Bangkok, Seoul, Cleveland, Medellin, and any number of medical tourism destinations that have popped up. I've been to several of these hospitals and they are nice. In Seoul, at the Samsung Medical Center, hospital rooms for foreigners have one bed each, as opposed to four beds each for Korean nationals. Why? Koreans are paying less via subsidies and rich foreigners with weaker currencies are paying full fare. In universal healthcare countries with market economies like the UK and Canada, private clinics are the only way patients with money who want to avoid the limitations imposed by rationed care can get access. In Canada, instead of waiting an average 9.5 months(!) to replace a painful knee, you can go to Duval Orthopedic Clinic in Montreal to get a knee replacement for under $14,000 USD (compared to $49,000 in the US). In Hungary--this is a fun one--you can go to a terrible state doctor for free or pony up $50 US for a private doctor. Most Hungarians who can afford it pay the cash, because they know they will get the quality for it. Even in the so-called universal medical system of Cuba, the political elite and their relatives have their own private hospital, whereas the rest of the population suffer substandard equipment, years-long wait lists, lack of medication and outdated facilities, and worst of all, doctors who spend half their time working side jobs as taxi drivers to pay the bills. The point is, markets will always step in to fill needs that aren't being met by state-run care--it's as predictable as the sun coming up. Often, the gap between rich and poor is worse in systems that try to do the most to eliminate it--Cuba being a prime example. What I found most interesting about this article--most likely unintentionally-was the hypocrisy of the Bay Area, the liberal mecca of the country, that would vote for universal healthcare in a landslide, also being the main drivers of demand in premium private service, widening the gap between the rich and the poor such a healthcare policy is bound to exasperate.