Out of compassion (and possibly not wanting to get sued), doctors and pharmacies will provide you will lifesaving medicine in the US, no matter your ability to

Out of compassion (and possibly not wanting to get sued), doctors and pharmacies will provide you will lifesaving medicine in the US, no matter your ability to pay. I have seen this happen in pharmacies and have firsthand experience with this happening in emergency medicine. Typically you'll be given the insulin and asked to pay later or it will be quietly written off as lost, expired, or just the cost of doing business. The pharmacists I knew we're more than willing to give a free vial if it was crucial and deal with payment later(or in many cases never). Repeat offenders are directed towards programs where they can get insulin at discount or for free. Despite the healthcare system being fucked, letting someone die without insulin is a bad PR move so the giant companies that make it will give it away if necessary (but you have to sign up and pass income checks). Still, this is mostly just human compassion I've seen. Doctors and pharmacists I've known are generally very helpful and nurturing people. You make a lot of money but there's easier ways to make the same if human compassion isn't your thing. If this wasn't the case I assume many would die, because it doesn't seem that the government provides any protection against this. The US medical system is corrupt and FUBAR but this is not a good example. I've worked low level jobs around retail pharmacy and emergency medicine and seen this happen firsthand many times. Healthcare providers in the US are of fairly high quality and generally will not let you die. Most of the insane costs and profiteering are focused around drug pricing, countless layers of nonsense surrounding insurance and pricing structures, and the need for hospitals to charge some people a lot to make up for the huge fraction that don't or can't pay.