[colechristensen]

There are all sorts of different health insurance plans. Most of them have a deductible, so you have to pay the first few thousand dollars yourself every year. Many plans cover a large percentage of costs after that deductible... say 80% ... which means that he'd still have to pay for the remaining 20% of some pretty expensive bills. (some plans cover 100% after deductible)

Some plans have maximum out-of-pocket costs per year... say $20k, some have no maximum. Some plans have maximum benefit... so the insurance company will only pay up to a certain amount... say $1M

These are just some of the choices, your history and where you live affect how much each of these costs. People choose their level of coverage and it's cost (or their employer does)

There are some cases of insurance companies trying to screw people out of what they are rightfully owed, but there are lots of cases where the coverage just isn't adequate for the issue and the bills are still very expensive.