Hospitals don't "help treat patients" without charging the patient for it. The guys charging $100 for a box of tissues don't get to become collectivists all of the sudden.
Hospitals help not only the patients, but also the firefighters who are responsible for those patients before handing them off to the hospitals. And they provide that service to the firefighters without charging the firefighters.
> The guys charging $100 for a box of tissues don't get to become collectivists all of the sudden.
When you say "don't get to be", do you mean shouldn't get to be? Are you sure the firefighters did actually charge the hospital for this?
Hospitals do consult on EMS calls at times, often without billing for it.
Not all hospitals bill for every little thing, that really depends on the hospital and how they are funded. For example there are a number of children's hospitals that are funded by grants, donations and endowments. And some hospitals like the VA hospital system are funded by the government to serve specific segments of the population.
> Hospitals do consult on EMS calls at times, often without billing for it.
They don't bill on a per-call basis, but you can be sure that if a hospital is providing medical control services to an EMS agency there is a contract in place and they are being compensated for it (either a flat annual fee, or by some other means)
> The guys charging $100 for a box of tissues don't get to become collectivists all of the sudden.
When you say "don't get to be", do you mean shouldn't get to be? Are you sure the firefighters did actually charge the hospital for this?