Why the US pays far more than other countries for health care

Here's the gist of the CNBC story:

1. We like to sue doctors.
2. If the government is the sole insurer, there's less paperwork for doctors.
3. Governments in other countries negotiate the price of prescription drugs - this is why in Europe I paid 1/5 to 1/6 of the US price for the same drugs manufactured by the same drug company.
4. Doctors, and particularly specialists, make a LOT of money in the states. less so abroad.
5. Yeah, there's some rationing, but... So you have to wait for a hip replacement in Canada. Whoop de doo. In the US, if you don't have insurance, you won't be able to even afford a hip replacement, and if you do have insurance, you'd better hope that your copay isn't very high, or the surgery isn't very expensive, or you still won't be able to afford it if you're fronting 50% of the cost (or even 20%).