> Americans wouldn't tolerate the trade-offs in the British healthcare system I do not believe this is true. Keep in mind that the UK has universal healthcare

> Americans wouldn't tolerate the trade-offs in the British healthcare system I do not believe this is true. Keep in mind that the UK has universal healthcare (NHS) but also has a private healthcare system. The private healthcare system can be used to prioritize speed, comfort, elective procedures, ... Around 12% of the UK population has private medical insurance [1]. > It's a policy determination to subsidize drug companies to make sure we get access to the latest drugs. There are cases in which a drug is under extreme demand outstripping manufacturing capacity. In these cases, paying more can provide access to a limited resource. However, to my eyes, this appears to be an unusual occurrence rather than the typical state of drug production worldwide. I don't see evidence that the amount the US pays for drugs results in dramatically higher access. I believe the opposite is true. If a drug is available in a US pharmacy but it is unaffordable, does one have access to it? I would say no. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/30/almost-one-in-eight-britons-now-has-private-medical-insurance-say-healthcare-analysts https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/30/almost-one-i...