Serious question because maybe I'm ignorant about it: was it ever a free market? And the follow-up question is: should it even be a free market given that heal

Serious question because maybe I'm ignorant about it: was it ever a free market? And the follow-up question is: should it even be a free market given that healthcare is not very conducive to shopping around and price matching, it's always possible to allow private clinics while providing a decent level of care to society in general. I simply do not see how a free market healthcare will be any better.