American health system reform: a view from the United Kingdom

Governments East and West have learnt the cost of trying to manage healthcare systems from a government department. In France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands ... they are all on the defensive, trying to rein in costs by transferring more and more responsibilities onto private insurers and suppliers. Even in Russia, alongside the public system, which is now arranged on insurance principles, people are quite free to purchase additional voluntary insurance, or direct payment, if they desire additional services such as shorter waiting times or better hospital accommodations. Can America really be going in the opposite direction?