In universal health care, doctors are supposed collectively ration healthcare on the basis of medical need. Of course, bean counters will interfere but that's the nature of a service that can never fully satisfy demand: either a bean counter interferes or your insurance company and your wallet interferes.

Alas, letting doctors determine medical need only works if doctors can be trusted and patients accept that the pot is finite, even if someone is crying on TV. Lawyers would show the American disbelief of either statement. The ambulance chasers will have the untreatable, hypochondriac, elderly and alternative healthcare loons chase them. This happens under the current system anyway but much less so as insurance companies don't have to even pretend to give a **** about you. Worse, the bean counters would be forced to re-assert the reality of overspent budgets on those who can't afford lawyers: the very people universal health care is trying to help.

Any kind of US healthcare system is ****ed until the lawyers are shot.