About 1/6th of the country is covered by Medicare. Medicaid covers another 20%+ and increasingly being nationalized. All told, we're looking at 1/3 of the US po

About 1/6th of the country is covered by Medicare. Medicaid covers another 20%+ and increasingly being nationalized. All told, we're looking at 1/3 of the US population's healthcare being paid for by the Government. The prices set by the government tend to drive the price levels adopted by the private payers. So while there is no NHS equivalent, the US government is critically important in the set up of the reimbursement structure.