Exactly it is to maintain the status quo. If you look I never said "the high cost of salaries", I said the high cost of service. Think about it, if you are a french bureaucrat running a socialized system you don't want a different type of healthcare professional coming in and undercutting your costs with more efficient service. That may take out the middle man (government bureaucrats). Governments don't like people getting help from someone other than governments. Look at the history of Osteopathic physicians trying to get certified in the USA, it is a history of discrimination. Not all in the same case for the same reason, but all had much to do with excluding competition. Ehhh too much to say in too little time. BTW, whoever just said French healthcare is better than anything in North America is laughable.If you think postal workers in lab coats are the pinnacle of medical practice then my advice to you is to stop believing everything you are told. European healthcare may be better in some aspects of primary care, but overall it has many problems like any system. The type of medical education in the USA is the best on the planet. Hands down. Don't bother arguing. No stats, articles or theories you cite will change this reality. There is a reason why the best healthcare professionals on the planet come to the USA to train and practice. Please understand this I don't mean to lecture, but do a little more research and understanding before adhering to the John Stewart/Comedy Central view of healthcare in America.
