One of the problems when we discuss "healthcare" is the wide variety of price points for healthcare. So at one end of the market you have fully insured people a

One of the problems when we discuss "healthcare" is the wide variety of price points for healthcare. So at one end of the market you have fully insured people asking for and/or being prescribed an array of drugs. Often quite literally they take a new drug to offset the harsher side effects of another drug so that it builds to the point whereby they'll start their day with 6 - 10 different pills. At this end of the market you could apply market forces and have significant results. If people more fully feel the burden of cost with those drugs they might very well tackle the underlying causes around obesity, diabetes etc. "If you could drop 30 or 40 pounds you'd probably find you're spending $200 less per month on medication" Sign me up! However, at the middle of the market and the most serious end of the market you're looking at procedures and ailments that can cost $10,000 to $250,000. Here, if you have free market forces at play you're asking people (including many parents) to make horrible decisions between what they can afford and what is best for the quality of life for years or decades. Some will be comfortable with that I know but it appears, given the acceptance and re-election of Obama, that the majority of people in America are more open to the government running healthcare. (I wrote a blog post where I said that the fear of being financially and emotionally destroyed by healthcare was now on par with foreign invasion. As such, just as no one wants free market forces in terms of national defense they now don't want free market forces in healthcare - shameless plug and done! http://jmlite.tumblr.com/post/46257541683/why-healthcare-in-the-us-should-be-thought-of-as http://jmlite.tumblr.com/post/46257541683/why-healthcare-in-... I think free market forces can be applied at certain price points but I can't see how it can be the driving principle across the entire spectrum. I think state run pricing and procedures that cover 80% + of the population with a legitimate private option for those with the drive or means to pay is the best possible outcome from a tough position.