Why exactly is healthcare, as an American, so expensive?
Fundamentally, because there is no way for the consumer to shop providers on price. It's a capitalist system where in a large portion of the transactions, neither the sellers, nor the buyers know what the cost of the transaction is. In many other transactions (expensive ones, particularly), the buyer is incapacitated and can't make an informed decision.
By economic definition, an "imperfect market".
