I took my family to Lake Shasta back in 1997. My 11 year old daughter developed severe diarrhea that was non-stop. After about 3 days, which was on a Sunday evening I took her to the emergency room at the hospital in Redding. We got there around 5 in the afternoon, and I presented my insurance to the staff, there was nobody else in the waiting room. By 7 the place was getting full and every one of them walked up to the window and told them they had a severe headache and forgot their MediCal card. 1 gal even told them her headaches were twice as bad as anyone else in the room and to give her a double dose of painkillers.
They finally saw my daughter and gave her a shot and sent us on our way with a bed pan in case she had to crap while we were driving back to our home in Washington. About a month went by and I got the bill for $6,000 for a shot and a bed pan! Fortunately, I had 100% full medical coverage, but I’m sure it was to make up for the cost of the meth heads that night in the emergency room.
And for a fully staffed and operational facility open on a Sunday evening, required by Federal law to diagnose and stabilize all who walk through the door.
When Congress passed EMTALA in 1986, they neglected to pass a funding source for what have amounted to trillions of dollars of free care.
The $6000 is your share of the system Congress created. These hospitals are not public utilities. The way they keep the lights on and maintain emergency services is spreading the cost over all who are paying bills.
Don't like it? Call your congressman.
This was done, and continues to be done, by the way, to make you demand nationalization. The Uniparty actually can't believe their programs since 1965 haven't already done this - but the good news is that the end of what we have now is very close.