As much as we love to hate ObamaCare, health insurance costs have been going up for years, prior to its implementation. Remember how switching to HMOs was supposed to “stop the bleeding”? The idea was that negotiated rates with providers would save us all some dough. That helped, but not for long. Similarly co-pays were supposed to curb consumer spending on non-essentials.
The “problems” with healthcare costs in the US include advances in (expensive) medical technology, high cost of medical school and malpractice suits.
So although there’s some corruption and price gouging going on, it’s expensive no matter who pays for it.
And many Heimishe Yidden are self-employed or small business owners. The idea that employers offer health insurance and covers many of us without a hitch is baloney – we are the employers and employees that have to pay those crazy premiums.
A single payer system can perhaps cut costs but will come at the expense of medical advances and availability of services – no one wants to work for no or low gain.
So there’s no magic answer as far as I can tell.