[jbscpa]

You say: "The problem is what "best" means. In an unregulated environment it would mean what's best for the insurance company, not the patient."

No. I don't buy auto insurance on that basis. It is required by my state in order for me to legally operate a motor vehicle. I buy what is "best" for me (and my family).

Only in our closed highly regulated environments that denigrate personal responsibility and individual liberty do we get this extraordinary markets dislocations that come with the bizarre healthcare system that we have today.

[redler]

For many people, health care is a service that must be consumed or they will die, or their children will die. Demand is highly inelastic. People in this situation are looking for a way to stay alive.

Your selection of the best auto insurance policy is qualitatively a different kind of choice. Many millions have no car or need of one. You could live without one. I mean that literally -- it will not end your life if you don't have a car. There are alternatives to owning one, even if one of those is moving somewhere where you don't need one. Likewise, you may never use your auto insurance, and auto insurance doesn't pay for maintenance. But everyone needs health care, including its "maintenance" form. There's nowhere to move that obviates the need for health care.

Insurance is not the right model.