Buckeyefan 1 said:
There are safety nets for those between jobs, such as COBRA, that allows health insurance coverage to continue (at your expense) until new insurance is picked up.
COBRA, and other similar programs are not available to every US citizen in every location.
Most larger cities' hospitals have discounted/free health care depending on the income/poverty level. They call it charity care. Many hospitals operate on a non profit basis for tax advantages, and in return, offer different types of charity care.
Replace "most" with "a select few". All in major urban areas.
The US has (or at least had) the best care in the world. No lines, the best doctors, and the latest medicines available upon request.
We certainly do have access to the nice stuff. More dentists-per-populace than any other country I am aware of too.
If you are disable or elderly you may be eligible for government healthcare systems Medicare and/or Medicaid. Which function much like a private medical insurance company, only you have limited treatment options for what ails 'ya.
By and large uninsured peoples are sent a bill for their treatments received. Payable in full or it'll go to collections and eventually you'll be forced via the courts to pay, or declare bankruptcy. Medical probelms are the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States.
Minimum wage is $6 an hour. An ambulance ride starts at around $800. Spending the night in a hospital can cost $3000+, an outpatient MRI costs $2000 (I just had to pay for one last month! Not covered by my insurance). Having a baby? It'll be around $16,000 after everything is said and done.
Its easy to see why people will pay thousands of dollars a year for family health insurnace, a minor accident can cost as much as a used car, and a disorder that required continual treatment (cancer, kidney dialysis, AIDs, etc etc) can run you hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Back on topic: what exactly is a conservative Canadian, they only smoke weed on weekends?
