So with true state provided healthcare: The “price” is really just the unit cost. Companies seem to have no problem computing unit costs (and thus margins!), n

So with true state provided healthcare: The “price” is really just the unit cost. Companies seem to have no problem computing unit costs (and thus margins!), no gosplan-like apparatus is required for this beyond supply-chain management and accounting. The U.S. situation is complicated considerably by all the different parties involved which I guess is why this idea might work less well there. Correspondingly I suppose the “true value” would be the value provided to the recipient of the procedure and society as a whole, and as you observe is much more subjective and probably best not even measured in dollars. I think “quality of life adjusted years” is a thing. The major problem is when the you and the state disagree on the value of a procedure and whether it justifies the costs... Another way to look at it, “socialised medicine” is just health insurance collected by the state with full vertical integration; your insurer also runs the hospitals and provides the care. The upside is you’re covered, the downside is you don’t get to choose a plan.