Thank you for the reference. The insurance companies — die Krankenkassen — are indeed state controlled and there are careful and very specific regulations regarding their funding and expenditures. Everyone is obliged to be in one and they are all expected to provide certain basic services.

That’s not the same thing as being state owned. Everyone has to be in one but there isn’t only one. Some are connected to regions and some to major industrial consortiums, like Audi.

It’s a small distinction, perhaps — but falsity proves anything. If it’s not state owned, it’s not, and we might as well not obscure debate about the US healthcare system with untruth.

it is not 100% state-controlled. A lot of the fees and cost are indeed state-controlled as in set by the state, but the actual insurance companies, clinics, etc are private.

It is a little bit more complicated: The budget of the "gesetzliche Krankenkasse" is set by the gouvernment. So yes, it is not owned by the state, but in reality it is completely controlled by the state. There are, however, private insurance companies in germany which are free to do what they want. Everybody under a certain salary limit has to be insured by the "gesetzliche" and only if they earn more than a certain amount they can leave it and have a private insurance or none at all. There are many discussions whether this system should be changed to a state onwed only system, because it would be more efficient.

http://www.spiegel.de/thema/gesundheitsreform_deutschland/