Health care in the United States is not a free market. In many ways, US residents are less free to make their own health decisions than residents of other nations. Government controls a larger share of health spending in the United States than in Canada, the United Kingdom, and most other advanced nations. State and federal governments subsidize low- quality medical care and penalize high- quality care. They block innovations that would otherwise reduce medical prices. Congress even funds veterans benefits in a way that excludes these expenses from the estimated costs of prospective military action--arguably increasing the likelihood of military deployment. The entire health care system must be fundamentally overhauled in order to put consumers in control of their health care decisions. In 2023, Cato's Michael Cannon published a detailed road map for how to do just that: Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the US Health Sector. Cannon is often cited as a leading expert in health care policy and was named one of the most influential people in Washington, DC, by Washingtonian magazine four years in a row.
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- United States of America
