For the citizen, none. For the insurance companies, they get forced signups.
> Does the lack of a large private insurance market in countries with government-provided health insurance cause lots of inefficiencies and waste?
The US spends the most of any nation on health care. The US is the only western nation with increasing infant and maternal mortality rates.
Actually, that's false. I can assure you that having lived in Canada and having moved to the US because of health care, having options beyond "deal with it" when not getting any sort of care or service is wonderful. Single-payer is great if you are actually getting the care you need. But when it fails, you are left with little to no alternative.
What's worse is that because of the perception that single-payer is so great, people don't really push for real solutions to solve its many problems. People would rather stick their head in the sand and ignore the very real problems, pretending everything is ok.
Until then, we happily live here in the US where we get more services for less than what it would have cost in Canada.
I read differing stories about the Canadian health care system: Some places it works out better than others, no system is perfect. I'm American, I live in Norway. The system isn't perfect here either, but I never want to go back. Here it is mostly single payer, with some blips, but folks can choose a private doctor if they'd like to and can pay for the difference in cost.
Not having money/health care coverage in the states means things like suddenly having to change your children's doctor because they no longer accept the governemnt health care. Not being able to get surgery for cancer or your bum knee because you can't pay upfront. Considering bankruptcy because you had a heart attack and surgery for it. The hospital 'nicely' dropped the payment to 200k, but you were a flooring installer making less than 25k a year - which you are advised by the doctor that you can no longer do. Paying out of pockets for medications might be an issue, especially if your loved one's anti-psychotic costs 2,000 a month or the injection you take for your MS costs between 2,500 and 5,000 per month.
The market is great if you can pay to get the care you need, but when that fails, you are left with little to no alternative.
That's incorrect. The benefits I receive have nothing to do with my insurance or my salary.
> Here it is mostly single payer, with some blips, but folks can choose a private doctor if they'd like to and can pay for the difference in cost.
Autism support in Canada falls into this "blip." Unfortunately, it's not as easy as going to a private doctor. Just because you need services now doesn't mean you can pay to get it, even if you had the money.
Sorry, but the idea that there are no benefits to the US system over the Canadian system is simply false. In my case, the US was cheaper, faster, and superior in ever way.
What I was lucky to have was the ability to make that decision to move. Canadians generally don't have that choice.