Thank you for the reference. The insurance companies — die Krankenkassen — are indeed state controlled and there are careful and very specific regulations regar

Thank you for the reference. The insurance companies — die Krankenkassen — are indeed state controlled and there are careful and very specific regulations regarding their funding and expenditures. Everyone is obliged to be in one and they are all expected to provide certain basic services. That’s not the same thing as being state owned. Everyone has to be in one but there isn’t only one. Some are connected to regions and some to major industrial consortiums, like Audi. It’s a small distinction, perhaps — but falsity proves anything. If it’s not state owned, it’s not, and we might as well not obscure debate about the US healthcare system with untruth.