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> If the market was, hypothetically, choked by regulation then they'd be in a great position to charge absurd prices.

There are countries in Europe like the Netherlands and Switzerland where the healthcare systems are almost entirely private (much more so than in the US, since there are no Medicaid/Medicare equivalents). Yet their markets are chocked fully of regulation while being able to maintain low prices (compared to the US) and very good outcomes.

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One of you is talking about the regulations where doctors who purposely poison people go to jail. The other is talking about the regulations where the incumbents in an industry get a veto on whether someone new can enter the market.

I don't know about Switzerland but Dutch insurers are all non-profits though (except one, that has never once paid out dividends). They have a strong incentive to keep costs down. Hospitals are all non-profits, too.

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