I don't think more profit exactly equals better "product" or service. I was with Kaiser Permanente. On one side, sure you will have a greater R&D, more up-to-date technologies and diagnosis, but on the flip side you have a reluctance to do procedures that aren't deemed "necessary" and there becomes a fine line between profit and care.
I myself believe in a two-tiered or two-option system. You can opt in to private healthcare, at your expense, but if you can't do that, you will always have healthcare.
The other thing in all of this is really the competence of the doctor. You can have brilliant doctors in both countries, and very bad doctors in both.
The fixed budget without the consideration of inflation has an impact, but I don't think the big impact you propose. From what I see there isn't a new machine or technology out on the market every month, week, day. I'm sure most healthcare cases are pretty "routine" and don't require that fancy new GE machine.
Just my opinion.
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