[tastyfreeze]

Your entire argument is based on the assumption that healthcare is a free-market which it is obviously not. The mechanisms of price discovery are not present to all players in the market. When there is an unbalance in information in any market it will always be detrimental to the player with less information. The way to fix the problem is to create a free-market.

[lotsofpulp]

There never will be a free market due to inability to negotiate prices and obtain quotes.

A person who had a stroke is not going to be evaluating offers from various surgeons. Nor are 99% of people going to know what healthcare they need or don’t need.

That is the service a managed care organization provided (aka insurance company).

[tynpeddler]

Spending for emergency health care is between 2%-7% of total US health care spending depending on who you ask. It's an important consideration of course, but the vast majority of health care can exist in a market to one extent or another.

[derekjdanserl]

My entire argument is based on the fact that a free-market healthcare system is not even an option. Frankly, a free-market economy of any sort is a utopian fantasy. Healthcare is just a useful case study of the problems.

[tastyfreeze]

My point is that we do not and have not had a free market in health care. So to say that free market healthcare can't work then using the current system as an example is a flawed argument to the point that it is nonsensical.

The incentives for the current system are to continually increase cost. The only way to fix that is with a free market or price controls. Price controls cause a whole different set of problems. The best solution is a free market for the routine and elective parts of healthcare with insurance to cover the rare unexpected events. Everybody gets to manage their risk how they please and healthcare cost comes down due to market forces.