This response is common, but flawed. At root it is a “no true Scotsman” fallacy. Behind that, it argues, or at least heavily implies, that the only “true” free market is one wholly unburdened by regulation. Such a thing does not exist outside of history books, and there are good, historical reasons as to why.

The fundamental premise, though — that the market is not ideal for healthcare —- remains. For shoes and smartphones, the market is fine. For MRIs and insulin, it is not.