Russell Roberts writes:
If the government paid for everybody's health care, some argue that we'd save money by cutting out administrative costs. The logic is that we'll save on all those bureaucratic duplications caused by multiple insurance providers. The empirical evidence is that in countries where government pays for health care, they spend less for health care than we do in America.
But as Arnold Kling points out, they spend less not because they're more efficient but because they provide fewer services. Charlie Quidnunc makes an even deeper point in the comments on this earlier post:
If profits and administrative costs are so terrible, why stop at eliminating them in the health industry? Why not get rid of those pesky elements in other industries? How about creating a single provider Information Technology industry? Think about how much better computers would be without all that complex and expensive competition between companies. Or single provider Automobile industry. Or single provider food companies. Why not have the government decide what a wholesome and nutritious meal should look like and eliminate all that expensive experimentation in fancy restaurants?
Here is additional wisdom on the issue from Tyler (HT: Whatever).
