Compare health costs of human v/s vet costs in the US. Vets perform many of the same surgical procedures on animals that surgeons perform on people, and most of the drugs are the same as well. But for some reason, the costs of medicine and surgery are far lower than for people. The main reason for this is due to lack of insurance in the area of vet care.

Without some vast insurance company throwing out money, the vets know they must keep costs to a reasonable level, so that their customers can afford the services. The same lower costs are seen in "cash only" healthcare for people. IMO, it seems that if you get rid of all the paperwork and middle men, the costs for basic care would tend to come down enough to be affordable. That would leave insurance only for major medical procedures.