I have a relative who needed emergency surgery in the States. Unfortunately, the billing department would not let her have the surgery, because she was Canadian

I have a relative who needed emergency surgery in the States. Unfortunately, the billing department would not let her have the surgery, because she was Canadian, and it was Friday, and they didn't have time to deal with it. The surgery had to be rescheduled for the next week, even though the doctor wanted it done immediately. This, despite pleas and offers to pay in cash, in advance – whatever it took. So, instead the of the rushed surgery, my relative waited. After a day of waiting, she decided to go straight to Vancouver, B.C., where the issue was taken care of immediately, with no wait times. However, because of the delay, her outcome was significantly worse than it would have been. Basically, she lost much of her eyesight because of the "billing department." That's the States for you.