I've always been aware that healthcare in the U.S. is far too expensive, but I never really knew why. I learned a lot more about the topic when I listened to Dr. Sean Flynn's talk about healthcare (The Cure That Words). He explained how healthcare came to be so expensive there and provided his solution to how it could be cured.
From what I gathered, he essentially argued that the U.S. should take the same approach to healthcare that Singapore takes, which is to make it decentralized and do away with third-party payment. I am all for doing away with the third-party payment for health insurance so that people don't have to pay ludicrous amounts of money for healthcare, but I have a couple of concerns about healthcare becoming fully decentralized.
First, if the U.S. were to try and transition into a decentralized, competitive healthcare system from what it is now, then some hospitals could be more likely to employ experimental methods. Just as some fast-food chains are likely to add certain chemicals to their food to make them more delicious or addicting, I am concerned that hospitals that are fully private might try to gain an edge over their competitors in such a way that risks harming the health of their patients. They might offer more "cutting-edge" medicine that isn't tried and true, or they might try using cheaper medical equipment that are slightly lower quality than regular equipment.
Second, I think there could be a possibility that if U.S. healthcare were to become decentralized, then some hospitals might attempt to monopolize and all require large medical payments together, since healthcare is an absolute necessity. Although this might work itself out, since patients could simply go to different hospitals that offer cheaper services, but this would still disrupt a lot of people's lives because they may be forced to drive really far to receive medical attention they can afford. And if someone needs medical attention constantly, they might be forced to move into a different state, even.
Both of these concerns, however, are minor, but I think they should be carefully considered when coming up with a solution to America's healthcare system.
Also, Dr. Flynn stated at one point that doctors in the U.S. have less motive to give their patients their best treatments than in other countries because they are getting paid by their patients' insurers and not their patients themselves. I agree with this in the sense that some doctors might be a bit less motivated to offer their best in their workplace, but I would not go so far as to say that they aren't concerned for their patients' health. Of course, there are exceptions, but I feel that any doctor is aware of the consequences that could occur if they don't give their patients the best treatment that they can.