[heartwood]

What if it’s not an emergency, as defined by EMTALA, but something like cancer? A hospital does have to take you in and stabilize you if you are having a heart attack, but not if you find some hard lump, or persistent low-grade bleeding.

Let that progress until you’ve got a ruptured bowel, or seizures because of the brain tumors - yeah, then they have to stabilize you. But not until then.

[BubbaJunebug]

A for profit hospital can if the choose tell you to pay or go pound sand

[DannyTN]

Yeah, but that's the exact scenario he's proposing. You find the hard lump, you buy the insurance, and go see the doctor the next day. Or you go to the doctor and he says, it could be cancer we need to do some expensive tests, and then you buy the insurance.

It's only the immediate emergency situation that is scary going without insurance in a world of no pre-conditions.