| Perhaps no longer surprising, but of note especially to people in other countries, with regard to health care in the U.S. People are frankly -- and justifiably -- scared of going to the emergency room. To the point of declining transport from the scene of an accident or other medical event, etc. They actively ask people not to call an ambulance. It's not necessarily that they fear the doctor or the treatment. They fear the bill. And yes, often enough these are people with insurance. A couple of years ago, I faced bills north of three grand, because someone called the paramedics when I didn't need them. I'd purchased the best insurance plan available to me, that year, and I was told at the time that service should be covered. Nope: Insurance failed to pick up the majority of it. Fortunately, I could afford to cover the expense. And the paramedics -- part of the local fire department rather than privately owned -- forgave the balance of their charges when they learned that insurance had crapped out on all but a couple of hundred. (It cost, at that time, about a grand just to "roll the bus", with surcharges added to that for actual service and transport.) That last was another reminder that public, non-profit safety can be a lot kinder than private, for-profit. |
At a minimum the US needs regulation so people can go through most medical situations and know what they are getting into financially.