Patients are not customers. We don't shop. And you know what the biggest tell-tale about that is? Hospitals don't advertise. Sure, you see ads for a handful of elective procedures like teeth whitening and boob jobs - but when did you see an ad for hernia surgery?
Now, it would be an interesting world where there was indeed some sort of marketplace for healthcare, where when you're doctor tells you you need something, from medication to a test, you can punch it into an app to get the best price. Providers could compete with each other on price.
But here's the thing: do we really want to buy healthcare based on price? I don't. And I know too many people in other parts of the world (Canada and Australia, to be exact) who have nothing but good things to say about their socialized healthcare.
I believe in capitalism's power to generate wealth, but I also believe that healthcare should be socialized in the US. It is horrible the way people are overcharged for procedures, and that happens because there is NO MARKET.