[vertex-four]

> You can dictate prices and have a private service model.

Perhaps, but at that point, you usually have a system where providers see their only way of making a profit as cutting costs - except those cuts are never passed onto the taxpayer. It's the worst of both worlds. NHS England has been forced into selling off parts of its operation in a similar manner to what you're suggesting for ideological reasons, and it's only cost us more money for worse service.

Perhaps it works where there's actually competition - e.g. where there's a choice of half a dozen providers owned by entirely separate entities that you could reasonably go to, which might be the case in some cities - but it doesn't work where there's few options for service users.