Yes, there are cases where things are worse than I described. But the comment I was responding to, and thus my comment, was addressed to what is "typical" in th

Yes, there are cases where things are worse than I described. But the comment I was responding to, and thus my comment, was addressed to what is "typical" in the U.S. system. What's typical, is that a person has insurance, goes to the hospital, and everything is more or less fine. What is not typical, but still entirely too common, is that an uninsured patient takes on an obscene amount of debt that has a major impact detrimental impact on his life. But that is far better than dying, which many would have you believe is the only option. It is also true that people sometimes get this calculation wrong and die as a result. This is due, as I mentioned, to a system that inhumanely forces this choice upon you, as well as people who spread misinformation about how our system works.