US healthcare isn't a free market. How much of our costs are due to government rules limiting the number of doctors and hospitals? Perhaps healthcare could be cheaper if the government was less involved.

But let's compare the two systems as they are, both dictated by the government. The US is actually rather heavy handed, imposing regulations on healthcare and pharma that most of the world doesn't share. For example, in most countries medical education doesn't require a previous non-medical degree. Pharmacists are often allowed to provide basic medical advice. And medicines are often approved more quickly and less expensively in Europe.[1] How much of the extra cost is due to over-regulation?

Also, how much of our costs are due to our unhealthy lifestyle? If we lived as healthfully as Europeans, we'd surely have lower medical costs.

We can't honestly compare the cost of medicine without controlling for factors like those.

1: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452302X1...