didn't c wright mills say something about crackpot realism...
ted marmor - in his 1970s-era book on medicare - indicated that potential for essentially all persons to receive helpful medical care had emerged by early 20th century (failure to make this a reality is another example, perhaps, of not-so progressive era), introduction of 1930s coverage whereby individuals - some of them anyway - could exchange monthly premium for medical needs (originally only major stuff, if memory serves) 'insured' private conception of health care...
of non-medicare/non-medicaid/other government program health care payments (about 40% of total), 20% of u.s. health care is still paid for by indvidual out-of-pocket payments (about 5% is paid for through other private means), only 33% is paid by for-profit 'socialized' corporate health insurance payments (whether premium is paid by individual, employer, employer/employee combos)...
until health care is seen as public right rather than private good to be sought out and paid for by individual who needs care, health care 'providers' (producer interests) will continue to shape policy at expense of working people/general population... mh