Obamacare did do some good things that needed to be done, but essentially, everything about it was a bandaid intended to kick this shitty system down the road to the next person who had to deal with it. But hey, at least health care companies can't just turn you down because you have Diabetes or are too fat anymore.
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/17/10784528/bernie-sanders-single-...
The difference is that with most socialised systems there are two system in parallel:
A public system whose priorities set based on measured impact, rather than by . E.g. in the UK, a separate agency develops guidance independently that measures how treatments affect "quality adjusted life years".
And a private system, whose priorities are, like in the US, based on how deep your pockets are.
For the vast majority the public system is the only one they use, but about 10% pay for private insurance. In practice this acts like a good indicator:
If takeup goes up it means more patients believe NHS care is slipping and makes them feel they need to "top it up".
If prices goes up (private insurance here is exceedingly cheap, since most providers are based on you going to the NHS first and then referring you privately if you e.g. don't get to see a specialist within X days) it's an indicator the providers see NHS as deteriorating (causing more claims from their customers).
The US could do the same - continue to allow private healthcare, but cover a certain level of treatment via a public system.
Edit: Let me also add this; when you sign up for health insurance you're entering into a contract with the insurer. They have to be up front about what they're providing and it's your obligation to understand what you're buying. With the government you don't get that. You get whatever the vanilla flavour of healthcare coverage is today. There's no contractual obligation, only whatever the government says is right today. You don't get a guarantee. Because there's no contract you can point to, even if you're legally allowed to sue (and I don't think you are.) you won't have a case to stand on.
And as I pointed out: If you think they are too strict, then you can pay for a private insurer to cover things the NHS doesn't cover or won't do fast enough for you.
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-service-paymen...
There's an enormous information and power imbalance in the health insurance contractual relationship. The large number of medical bankruptcies by people that had health insurance is surely a testament to this fact.
The named defendant was the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The suit was over practices followed by Medicare contractors, but it's not like they were operating outside the knowledge of Medicare, they were acting as Medicare had directed them to act. The settlement agreement has Medicare changing the procedures the contractors will follow.
I'm hazy on the details myself, but briefly:
1. Healthcare insurers are covered under ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, of 1974. Among the provisions of that act are limitations on the right to sue, under the theory that a retirement fiduciary is an agent of the employees. It's been a long time since I've looked at this, and I don't recall all the specifics, but yes, there are some limitations on suit for lack of coverage.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_Retirement_Income_S...
2. Lawsuits against the government are possible and happen all the time. I'd have to see what specific limitations apply, if any, to Medicare, Medicaid, Disability, and VA care, but you'll find numerous instances of suits:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lawsuit+medicare+denial+of+(care%7...
Update, additional info on ERISA and its impact on lawsuits: appeals through the insurer must first be exhausted, but statute of limitations applies whilst lawsuits are blocked: https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/stock_option/...
"...in which the plaintiffs alleged that Medicare contractors were inappropriately applying an “Improvement Standard” in making claims determinations for Medicare coverage involving skilled care..."
Note that this is a very good cost containment strategy. Note also that this can probably not reduce patient outcomes at all. Note also that it is extremely unpopular.