[John Isbell]

Good morning Bill,

Western Europe to my mind is not a tribal community...
I volunteered for nine years at a homeless day shelter in Indiana. Yes, our clients got emergency healthcare, by going to the ER, waiting several hours, and being seen by an MD for any ailment they had. They would then discard the bill when it arrived. This does not seem to me an ideal system, not least in economic terms. The cost (MDs cost money) is of course spread out onto the taxpaying and insurance-paying community, it is not magically eaten by mysterious forces.
As for outcomes, I am sure you are familiar with how US life expectancy, etc., rank in world terms. Not well.

Cheers,
John

We might also review the American prison system, in which unfettered capitalism plays I believe an important role. To name but one other example. It is sui generis; perhaps China is the closest large-scale equivalent.