I can understand that perspective. But are you really treated more humanely in Europe? Instead of a cash cow, you're a statistical number that determines where

I can understand that perspective. But are you really treated more humanely in Europe? Instead of a cash cow, you're a statistical number that determines where you will get placed in the queue and how long you'll wait. In the US, you at least have the potential for autonomy to pay the best doctor you can find you to treat you as soon as possible. That autonomy (or illusion thereof if you're a cynic) is a core component of the American identity. That feels more human to me. However, I do agree spending is completely out of control. A big reason is because Americans are extremely unhealthy. Many are obese, don't exercise, and eat like shit. I think those people should be punished with large insurance premiums, instead of being treated equally to someone who proactively takes care of their health and has a higher chance of long-term survival. What's left of the insurance market does still respond to those incentives. There's some fits and starts with this in insurance (e.g. step trackers) but these are values and habits that need to be instilled in people from youth. That is an area I can see the state stepping in, and something they're better equipped to handle than a complex healthcare system. Genetic diseases are a different case, and should be treated differently. There is a huge opportunity for prevention through genetics, but everyone raises a stink because of the "eugenics" bogeyman. This is an area where I agree with the transhumanist types in that we should really be taking a close look at our genetics and taking a scientific approach to improving them for longevity. I'd love to see a Manhattan Project for life extension. The main problem I see with universal healthcare, besides the stupid communistic utopianism, is that it doesn't really fix the underlying problems with the incentive structure. I think we could agree that the incentive structure should revolve around proactive physical fitness and the early prediction and prevention of disease, not pills and palliative care. From my perspective, it looks like European governments are struggling and failing with their systems. They're slow to treat people and are not innovating in medicine at a high level. Yes, corporations want to extract wealth from individuals with high prices but so do government agencies with high taxes. And governments have much less incentive to innovate; they tend to ossify. My point is, Americans have other options other than universal healthcare. I think we should not settle for the European-style socialist system because it relies on a religious holdover manifest in a secular world: that if we treat everyone equally we'll all be magically saved. Instead, Americans should draw from our founding principals of individual autonomy and manifest destiny to form a healthcare system that embodies our ideal future.