As candidates for the 2020 Democratic nomination present their visions for “Medicare for all,” politicians on both sides of the aisle are increasingly looking to imitate Europe’s health systems to lower the cost of healthcare. But a European system would come at the cost of lower survival rates, longer wait times, and rationing care — making it a step backwards for American healthcare. While we should be seriously thinking of changing the status quo, these trade-offs require serious consideration.

The cost of healthcare is a problem that just won’t go away on its own. Despite modest achievements by the current administration in recent years, the cost of prescription drugs has skyrocketed over the past decade. Approximately one in ten Americans now rations prescription medication as a way to cope with the price, a strategy that has killed many.