Some people like to max their points in videogames. Other like to max their $ in real life.
The beauty of capitalism is that the effort of the latter end up benefiting us all.
I also spend all of my time and energy trying to get more points.
There are countless examples of that not being the case. At best, it benefits some other people most of the time and, arguably most people only some of the time.
Keep in mind that all of the current issues with US healthcare are also caused by individuals trying to maximize their personal dollars - at the expense of the general public.
The US has a particularly horrible hyper regulated, government shielded, cartel-based healthcare system and has for decades - the time during which its healthcare costs have skyrocketed out of control.
The US could hardly be further away from Capitalism in how its healthcare system is structured.
Countries with more regulation and more control by the state have... prices that are a fraction of the US. Surprise. Just like countries with stricter environmental restrictions have fewer clear-cut forests, less polluted water, etc. Unbridled capitalism means more money at the top at the cost of everyone else. There's a balance to be found between making money and having some restraints.
Per Wikipedia:
> Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private property, property rights recognition, voluntary exchange, and wage labor.
All of these things are true of the US healthcare market.
Why the government hasn’t stepped in, is pure corruption.
That's just what capitalism is. There is no ideal world where people max out their earnings and say "haha i'll be a friendly competitor and work for the benefit of the people :))))". People with vested interests will always push for less regulation, and the consequence of a successful push is never "everyone is better off and paying less!" Other developed countries have more regulation and lower prices. That's simply a fact.
