withhold a percentage of income from paychecks into what is basically an HSA. Technically speaking, it’s forcing everyone to have some savings (one could argue that part of it is not truly a free market, but I digress).

Those savings are the property of the individual, and from there, the system is truly free market.

Patients now have their own saved funds to pay for regular care, and without insurance special rates and network restrictions, providers must compete for business on a real open market, by being better and cheaper... and, you know, actually publishing prices.

Patients also buy their own private insurance, but they’re higher deductibles since it is only for catastrophic needs, not regular care (which is paid for from their own accounts of invested funds that continually replenish from savings and grow from investments).

Also, said insurance is purchased on a completely open market, no state limitations and it is tied to the individual and is completely decoupled from employment. The rates are actually impacted by your individual risk factors... (I.e. smokers pay more) so if you’re doing your own best to live healthy, you pay less.

Lastly, they allow any procedure or drug that is deemed safe by any of the major health organizations around the world, so the ability to try improved, cheaper, or innovative approaches is much higher.

That’s as I understand it anyway. By all accounts, it worked splendidly.

Instead of a third party government and/ie insurance trying to be responsible for everyone, they ensure that people are positioned to be responsible for themselves.

There are a few other things that factor in, like the fact that income tax rates are like half of where they are here, so doctors salaries and the patients ability to save are both improved.

This would absolutely work in the US, and ironically is already exactly how other health-related industries work here... the only thing stopping us is politics, lobbies, and societal inertia, really.