My roommate's bill for my own 5 day, $24k hospital stay was $0. My after-insurance cost was $2k, though I negotiated that down to $800 that I was able to pay o

My roommate's bill for my own 5 day, $24k hospital stay was $0. My after-insurance cost was $2k, though I negotiated that down to $800 that I was able to pay off over a year (grad student on a stipend). Initially I was a little bitter about my roommate getting a freebie due to lack of insurance, but I eventually learned some compassion. In his case, he was unemployed and couldn't work due to a back injury. So, we end up in this situation where those who have insurance subsidize those who don't. Many people who are ok with this are very much against an identical arrangement where the government is involved.