The US effectively already has socialized medicine. Medicare represents 22% of US healthcare spending. Medicaid is a further 18%, bringing the total to 40%. Given that the underpayment to providers, documented above, shifts some of the costs incurred by federal programs to other payers, the true total share of government-provided healthcare likely exceeds 50%. Furthermore, these government programs affect rates and coverage in the so-called private sector. The ironically-named Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects virtually all US healthcare.
Doctors are already coerced in various ways by Medicare, Medicaid, and ACA. This sort of coercion incompatible with the ideals of a free society. What’s worse is that it doesn’t even result in cost savings. As I’ve pointed out elsewhere, US performance (measured by outcomes) is comparable to, or worse than, other developed countries at about double the cost.
If there’s going to be de facto socialized medicine, at least let it deliver good results at lower cost. It’s about 18% of US GDP now and rising. How much farther can it rise? Imagine what could be done if that 18% were cut in half: erase the federal budget deficit, for one thing.