Socialism isn't defined in terms of a "well-regulated market". Socialism is when the government provides goods and services.
> don’t forget that plenty of areas simply don’t operate on a supply-demand basis — e.g. healthcare
Supply-demand is in play even under socialism.
But here's a simple example. Take your corner drugstore. It has a couple aisles of all sorts of healthcare products, from aspirin to toothbrushes to athlete's foot cream to cold remedies. There are multiple brands with multiple formulations at various price points. How does supply & demand not apply there?
More generally, pick any health care issue. For each, there are a multiple of options available, with varying costs, efficacies, risks, and pain. Including doing nothing (by far most diseases disappear on their own). How is that not supply & demand?
> don’t forget that plenty of areas simply don’t operate on a supply-demand basis — e.g. healthcare
Supply-demand is in play even under socialism.
But here's a simple example. Take your corner drugstore. It has a couple aisles of all sorts of healthcare products, from aspirin to toothbrushes to athlete's foot cream to cold remedies. There are multiple brands with multiple formulations at various price points. How does supply & demand not apply there?
More generally, pick any health care issue. For each, there are a multiple of options available, with varying costs, efficacies, risks, and pain. Including doing nothing (by far most diseases disappear on their own). How is that not supply & demand?