> I also have difficulty with the idea that only de facto agents of the state can deliver healthcare (care only available at fixed prices, etc).
It seems that they aren't the only difficulties you have. In a social health-care system, possession of a medical license doesn't entail one's employer. You're more than welcome to set up private practice, though you'll have less chance of the career defining cases, as the majority of patients will not be using your one-man-band practice. Thus many doctors in the UK, split their time between their private practice and public services. The only thing that's "de-facto" is the need to be qualified to treat people.
