In the US you get it from both ends. You pay for insurance, they decline your claims, you have co-pays, minimums, etc. and then you pay more than you otherwise

In the US you get it from both ends. You pay for insurance, they decline your claims, you have co-pays, minimums, etc. and then you pay more than you otherwise might because the hospitals have to cover those who need care but don’t have insurance. That’s why your aspirin is $300. You’re paying for lots of other people. And then you also pay taxes for Medicare and Medicaid programs, the VA, and other various, duplicative programs. I don’t have a strong opinion on either system on its own philosophical merits, but what I see today is that the health insurance industry is a jobs program with extra cost added in for profits and I’m just not really sure what the point of it is. If we are willing to let people die on the streets and refuse care, let’s get the government out and just go all-private. If we aren’t willing to do that we should drop the jobs programs and waste (insurance) and just go with tax-based healthcare and eliminate redundant programs (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) and also the subsidization of insurance companies. Getting people the care they need to is almost certainly going to lead to a healthier and happier population that’s more productive as well, which is another economic benefit.