"The key to a single-payer system is that the government sets prices. Usually, it empowers boards of independent experts who set those prices low. [Uwe] Reinhardt's argument is that in the United States, health industry interests have so much sway over Congress that the prices would end up being set by health-care interests.... Reinhardt's argument is a reminder that the simple fact that a policy worked in another country does not mean it will work in this country. His point about the importance of independence is particularly crucial."

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