I asked the question because I see lots of things here in the French health care system that seem applicable to the US situation. We've got a two-tier system - most people have both the national (public) coverage and a private insurance to pay that part that the national coverage doesn't. It ain't perfect, but it's not bad at all.

But I wonder if perhaps there are just too many hopelessly vested interests in the US health care industry. There are the obvious ones, like the pharma companies, the insurance companies and the private hospital corporations. But also there is lots of cost bound up in the intricacies of the current system: the need for armies of staff in each doctor's office to code up insurance forms, the need for clerical staff at the insurers to root through claims, looking for a reason to reject, and of course the whole "get rich quick" mentality that drives the tort system: if you don't get the outcome you wanted, you can always sue and at least make a fortune, even if someone dies.
Cheers,
Bev