I am not as educated as you on this subject, so I won’t pretend to know more than I do. All I know is that, for example, in auto repair, I can go to any garage I choose, so the repair shops must compete for my business by keeping their prices competitive. If healthcare worked the same way, the prices for services would stay lower based on what people could afford to pay, and the whole industry would run at a lower cost structure, making it unattractive to government crooks looking to fill their coffers and shyster lawyers looking to dip into pockets of money. It’s a pipe dream, I know...
Except that auto repair shops as well as many other businesses are now 'organized' into their own unions...Their labor rates are all pretty much identical...
They go to a book to see how long the repair should take and charge you that rate...It the repair takes too long, they'll add something to it so they don't lose money...
If the repair is too quick, they charge you according to how long the book says the job 'should' take...
Same with junk yards...There's a 'blue book' for used parts...
Same with new cars...Same with wash machines...
There's no such thing as competition anymore...
I suspect it's the same with doctors and hospitals...