Then, well, those bills aren't all that bad! LOL Those bills are downright small if you live in the US.
As I'm fond of saying... "Lessons were learned."
This is not a competition, but I was a passenger in a pretty spectacular automobile wreck. My bills topped 7 figures by the time I was mostly done.
I still haven't settled with the insurance company, mostly 'cause I'm pretty pleased that they keep paying any bill I send 'em. I'm in no rush to settle. I've got about three more years before I need to start the proceedings.
Which leads me to...
Again, it's not a competition. What it is, is a statement about the value of good insurance.
What we can't do, unless we're really careful, is talk about single-payer. Politics is off-limits - but medicine shouldn't really be all that political. From a medical viewpoint, I feel everyone should get treatment at least kinda similar to what I got.
Gotta be careful as politics is strictly off limits.
Now, onto the meat of what I was going to say. Depending on where you went to the hospital, they may have scaled billing, where your bill is based on what you earn.
Another one, pioneered by a hospital not too far from me, is that the hospital lets you work off your bill. I know that sounds odd, but they have you scrubbing floors and mowing lawns. You're not actually conducting surgery to pay off your bill.
Entirely unrelated...
I recently had a cyst in my calf muscle. It was a bit aggravated so I sanitized an x-acto knife and cut it out. I then kept it clean and dressed for a few days and it was fine. I'm a long ways from a hospital and it was just the easiest path. The missus was kinda concerned but it's not the first time I've done so.
Hmm... Yeah, this is a wine-fueled novella. Ah well...
