One fun thing about being a USAmerican abroad as healthcare (again) becomes the center of our political debate is that Europeans / Latin Americans / Asians ask you if our system is really THAT bad and you tell them stories which leave them mouths agape in a state of shock and awe
My go-to tale is the one of my friend from university, hit by a car on his bicycle just after graduation (therefore uninsured), who refused to get in the ambulance, even though he had been knocked out and lost a lot of blood. He survived, then got a bill ANYWAYS for almost $2,000
Since the ambulance had been called on his behalf (while he was unconscious) the bill was his to pay. He couldn't pay the debt of course. People from much poorer countries (Brazil for example) often just can't believe that this is how the world's mightiest power operates
Who knows how much my friend would have owed if he actually accepted the ambulance ride and hospital treatment. The absolutely insane thing is he probably made the RATIONAL choice by choosing to limp home, bleeding, hope he would live, and try to deal with ONLY the 2k bill
