Who should eat the bill?
If it’s not Keith then the cost is recouped from everyone else that visits the hospital. I don’t get why people think the burden of their healthcare is everyone else’s burden to bear for them.
The “cost” of a service is far less than the bill. A price or charge is not a cost.
If the service is futile then the provider should eat the cost.
Health care provision is restricted by law. Health care charges should also be restricted by law.
Salesmen generally eat the cost of failed sales attempts very often.
It seems to me that the hospital could simply list it as a loss on their income tax return.