It makes no sense whatsoever, and I have never been able to figure out why the US approach is so often purveyed under the heading of "freedom."

My "beef" isn't with open market vs. socialized medicine, but with the fact that I could go to a private, for pay clinic in Europe and have the exact same procedure done (let's say, a hip replacement) for 1/3 of what the very same same procedure would cost in the US. How the heck is that "the efficiency of free markets?"