Now imagine you'd had to pay thousands of dollars for that trip to the ED. Otherwise that doesn't sound any different from an experience with the medical system

Now imagine you'd had to pay thousands of dollars for that trip to the ED. Otherwise that doesn't sound any different from an experience with the medical system in the US. One of the first questions you're asked is if you have insurance (in Texas it's not assumed), so they can determine what class of patient you are.