[danielweber]

All those countries are very different.

There's this cartoon understanding the health care system, where the US has system A, and every other country in the world has system B. You will find people on both sides of the aisle believing this. Even though Germany is closer to the US than it is to France.

[vidarh]

The big difference with respect to Germany, though, is that they are not afraid to regulate their health sector. The problem with the US model is not so much private vs. public, but a matter of lobbyists and ideology getting in the way of regulating it in the way that makes sense for people instead of for healthcare providers and insurers.

(France also has a mix of private and public healthcare insurance)