I mean, sure, that's fair. But... The amount of money I spent on medical care in Hong Kong, per year, was probably 1/10th of what I'd have to spend on medical

I mean, sure, that's fair. But... The amount of money I spent on medical care in Hong Kong, per year, was probably 1/10th of what I'd have to spend on medical insurance alone if I were in the US. Because patients and practitioners have more agency, and because pricing is transparent, there's actual competition in the market. Sure, you need money, but it's less than you think, and there are fewer hoops to jump through, fewer roadblocks to treatment. The optimal system is probably something like that. A public system for emergencies, child delivery, and absolutely necessary treatments -- and a transparent, open, private system for everything else.