First, thanks for a informative essay on an important topic.

Part of the problem in the U.S. is the extension of a fundamental cultural flaw to healthcare: the rare 'ultimate' outcome is preferred over 'really good' commonplace outcomes. For instance in sports, only a championship is considered to be a 'really good' outcome. It applies to the economy as a whole: seeing how rich an individual can possibly become is the goal of the system, as opposed to assuring that everyone has 'enough'. So in healthcare, really great outcomes for a few validate a system that is terrible for most people.