The medical system is not grossly unregulated. It is not centrally regulated in DC though there is a lot of regulation from there. It is states and localities t

The medical system is not grossly unregulated. It is not centrally regulated in DC though there is a lot of regulation from there. It is states and localities that regulate it. For example, in some places, a medical professional can add an MRI without much more permission than safety concerns. But in most places, it needs to be negotiated with the various hospital systems, etc. This obviously drives costs up. Ambulance companies need to get permission from other ambulance companies to add an ambulance. These are just a couple of the examples I have come across, but I am sure there are many other examples. Government in the US pays 60% of the medical costs in the US. State licensing applies to all levels of healthcare, not just doctors. Doing minor in home care requires some kind of nursing credential with a supervising doctor-type. The common experience of patients is that they are interacting with private health systems and insurance companies. These systems are grotesquely obscure with prices and it feels like one is being fed to the wolves of capitalism unlike in almost any other market experience in the US. This makes it feel like it is unregulated. But, of course, this can only happen because the government has, by force of law and gun, created a medical cartel, limiting options, prices, and divergent practices.