So assume that the U.S. health system goes away and that no further medical research is ever conducted; we're left with whatever the state of knowledge is now, and it'll never get better. This is what I was somewhat obliquely referring to as "some people will die because the person who could've saved them has no incentive to".
The question still stands - would you rather live in the world where everyone has access to medical care but it isn't cutting-edge, or one where the very best in care and the very best in research techniques are available, but only for a price? I'm honestly curious about peoples' answers, because it is a dichotomy. Not necessarily a sharp one - you could imagine several intermediate systems in between - but there's a tradeoff between universal access vs. incentivizing further research and new techniques.
> So assume that the U.S. health system goes away and that no further medical research is ever conducted; we're left with whatever the state of knowledge is now, and it'll never get better. This is what I was somewhat obliquely referring to as "some people will die because the person who could've saved them has no incentive to".
Again, there is no "would you rather". You can't treat these as binary options, and you can't treat these as operating in isolation. They're an array of systems that mutually operate within a global context. There is no answer to that question, because the dichotomy assumes both a binary and isolation.
There is indeed a tradeoff between quality and access, and there's a worthwhile and necessary conversation to be had around that. But that's not the same as the difference between the US and the multitudinous systems within Europe (most of which are not single-payer). And it's not the same as the question you opened with.
Why would there be a dichotomy? Both space travel and the internet come to mind as government funded projects moved the United States into lucrative markets with cutting edge technology.
There is no dichotomy between universal coverage and cutting edge technology.
If I see someone drowning, I have no financial incentive to go save them. But I will go save them. Financial incentives aren't the only incentives. They aren't even the best incentives.
Why might someone go into medicine and/or research if it didn't pay huge salaries? Maybe because it's meaningful work. Maybe because it brings prestige. Maybe because they enjoy it. Maybe because they care for people.
I contribute to open source software and have never been paid a dime, yet you can hardly say that open source software is inferior to proprietary/for-profit software.
The question still stands - would you rather live in the world where everyone has access to medical care but it isn't cutting-edge, or one where the very best in care and the very best in research techniques are available, but only for a price? I'm honestly curious about peoples' answers, because it is a dichotomy. Not necessarily a sharp one - you could imagine several intermediate systems in between - but there's a tradeoff between universal access vs. incentivizing further research and new techniques.