It's mostly a strong ideological problem and a lack of information (perpetrated mostly by politicians diabolizing the other system). Private health care is as diabolized here in Europe as public health care is diabolized in the USA. The only conclusion is that all are right and everyone is wrong.
That said, changing from one system to the other is a traumatic experience to any country. One that only under total failure of the previous system can be justified. And moving a private based system to public is particularly difficult. Much more than the other way around. This involves tremendous changes to the fiscal policy that will affect every element of the society (companies no matter their sizes, individuals no matter their income).
For the reasons I hope are clear above. But not trying to move there, doesn't mean there isn't a desire. And there is.There's one more interesting thing - no countries that have a government health care system are trying to move health care to the private sector.
In many countries in Europe, when under a lot of stress from the fiscal system that tends to sometimes question the maintenance of the public health care system, it is often debated the possibility of going private. This is often brought about by center-right and right-wing parties.
This is at the core of their ideology and is as valid as the public health care system defended by center-left (the Socialists. Not to be confused with the USA notion of Socialism. Socialist is not Socialism) and left-wing politics (socialist communists, aka Socialism).
The truth, at least to me, is this:
- Both systems boast their own set of advantages and disadvantages.
- Each system disadvantages become more evident under different situations. For instance, a private system becomes a problem under an economy crisis affecting production and unemployment, which tend to affect less the public system because this one can be better defended with a rise in taxes. Conversely, a public system is very sensitive to demographics which do not tend to affect the private system at all.
- Changing from one system to the other is a tremendous risk and a painful experience that can only happen with a strong political consensus (mostly because the process can be lengthy and be inherited) and a social consensus for the trialing times ahead.
- No system is better than the other. Although a country history, culture and economics may prove one system to be more adequate than the other.