> Free market health care would operate in the same way, if it existed.
Any particular reason you think that?
Cafes sell standardized products--if we order the same small latte, we get the same thing and pay the same price. If you "require" something different, you pay a different price. Almond milk, for example, is $0.50 extra, near me. Flavored syrups cost a quarter.
Medicine is a lot less one-size-fits-all. Your fractured arm could be harder to repair than mine and thus takes longer or requires more supplies (and those aren't cheap--bone screws can run $40+/each). Maybe a diagnostic test is inconclusive and needs a more expensive follow-up. You can't really know how some of this is going to go beforehand. I suppose some places could offer a prix fixe option, based on their expected cost + a safety margin. I bet many wouldn't though, because the variance can be huge.
Any particular reason you think that?
Cafes sell standardized products--if we order the same small latte, we get the same thing and pay the same price. If you "require" something different, you pay a different price. Almond milk, for example, is $0.50 extra, near me. Flavored syrups cost a quarter.
Medicine is a lot less one-size-fits-all. Your fractured arm could be harder to repair than mine and thus takes longer or requires more supplies (and those aren't cheap--bone screws can run $40+/each). Maybe a diagnostic test is inconclusive and needs a more expensive follow-up. You can't really know how some of this is going to go beforehand. I suppose some places could offer a prix fixe option, based on their expected cost + a safety margin. I bet many wouldn't though, because the variance can be huge.