Originally Posted by artwilliams

Here is one angle as told to me by an American doctor I once met on vacation.

Doctors pay huge malpractice insurance fees because ambulance chasing lawyers are suing them all the time. As a result, they've become overly cautious and send patients for any and all tests that might be related to their condition in order to help defend themselves should they get sued. This results in higher than needed health care costs and insurance premiums.