[dekhn]

No, that's the opening to a negotiation. Many uninsured people either pay a fraction of that, or don't pay anything at all (at which point those costs are then borne by somebody else). My wife spent a bunch of time on the phone after her father died and basically by saying "we can't pay this" they would just offer another, smaller amount, until we agreed on a payment plan. This is actually how a lot of debt collection works in the US.

[leshow]

Are you framing this as a defense of the practice? It's hard to imagine that you view it as a positive thing that you get a massive bill you can't hope to pay, and you then have to call and beg to be lowered to some reasonable amount.