Yes, Americans will go to the doctor and demand antibiotics, even if that's not the optimal treatment. But that's when they go to the doctor. A lot avoid going

Yes, Americans will go to the doctor and demand antibiotics, even if that's not the optimal treatment. But that's when they go to the doctor. A lot avoid going at all. When I suspected I had strep throat a couple months ago, I went to an in-network doctor and was charged ~$70. Additionally, that charge was unpredictable--when I went there, I had no idea if it would be free or $200, and when I left, they told me it was $0. They sent the bill a few weeks after dealing with my insurance. To a lot of Americans, "this will cost somewhere between $0 and $200" is not something they can just shrug their shoulders at. It can actually affects their short-term finances in a significant way. (Also, before anyone chimes in with "this is because they're irresponsible with budgeting", that's irrelevant to the point being raised here: A lot of Americans will avoid the doctor to avoid these bills. It doesn't matter whether we blame them or not--the effect is the same.) And some extra bad news: It's not chiefly software engineers in this situation. I live with a teacher, a teaching assistant, and several food service workers. They're the ones who fall in the "doctor visits are too expensive" category.