It is remarkable to think that the US Healthcare system is not the result of any grand plan or national strategy, but a series of historical accidents, most of them occurring in and around World War II. Factory owners needed to keep up with the breakneck demand of the wartime economy, and looked to "fringe benefits" to attract workers, including private health insurance plans. Then the IRS really threw gasoline on the employer provided health insurance model by issuing a ruling in 1943 that health insurance benefits were not taxable.

The structure of our healthcare system is an 80 year old hack. It's highly illogical, inefficient, and very very expensive.