What both parties avoid is a discussion that perhaps the national health care systems that other countries provide work better. None are problem free, especially when it comes to governments funding them adequately, but in no other nation do costs come even close to what they are in the US which also has some of the worst health outcomes. The for-profit system that we have in the US is by far the costliest with huge portions of the costs for covering marketing by insurers and hospitals, payments for insurer stockholders, high salaries for managers who have to show profits, and large amounts of physician time spent in interpreting what each individual insurer will cover for each patient- all of which contributes not at all to patient care or health. American physicians are also more highly paid than in other nations regardless of the outcomes for their patients. When I worked at a large physician’s member organization, internal surveys indicated that the most popular plan favored by members was a single payer system which would avoid massive time and resources spent on paperwork and fighting with insurers about what their patients needed – something driving many doctors out of their professions.
Some cost savings and improved patient outcomes have been found through utilizing highly skilled health care workers (physician assistants, nurse practitioners,etc.) who earn less than physicians but often have more time to spend with patients, especially in preventive health care, – even pharmacists are greatly underutilized despite their knowledge. But our system is built around profit and activities that do nothing for patients. Despite political arguments that patients want to choose their own doctors, most health plans greatly restrict that choice, and like everything else in a market economy, those with more money have more choice – and wind up having to spend more, even if the outcomes are not better.
When I’ve spoken to people in Canada, the UK and Netherlands, they have complaints but wouldn’t exchange what they have for what we supposedly have. We have the best health care for a few that the most money can buy but most of us don’t have that money.