President-elect Donald Trump and his British counterpart, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, don't agree on much. But on health care, the two men seem to share a common vision — a smaller role for government.

During the presidential campaign, Trump warned voters that Kamala Harris "wants everybody to be on government insurance" and vowed to make health coverage "better and less expensive." Britons elevated the left-wing Labor Party to power earlier this year in part because of its promise to turn to the private sector to relieve pressure on the overburdened National Health Service.
Let's start across the pond. The NHS is "broken," in the words of Health Secretary Wes Streeting. In September, 6.3 million people were waiting for 7.6 million rounds of treatment. Roughly half have waited more than four months — some, more than a year. Waits for cancer treatment are at their worst level in 14 years. About 300 people died weekly last year due to NHS incapacity to provide accident and emergency care.
And yet, some Americans remain admirers of British health care. The most infamous might be Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. According to a British friend, Mangione had previously "expressed envy at the UK's nationalized health system."
The private sector can deliver coverage that's cheaper, better, and more flexible.
Now, wonder of wonders, Labor is looking to the private sector as an emergency lifeline for procedures, scans, and appointments. Not since the 2008 financial crisis have so many in the U.K. sought refuge in private insurance as the public system struggles.
Meanwhile, in the United States, we're suffering in the straitjacket of our own government-run healthcare bureaucracy. And like PM Starmer, President Trump has promised to fix it.
Most Americans receive health insurance coverage through their employers. For those who don't, the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — created government-run "exchanges" on which individuals can buy i...