Absolutely. People used to survive without health insurance. People could actually afford to pay doctors directly.
My son was born a Preemie in 1980.
Spent his first month in a neonatal intensive care unit.
We paid every dime of the $12K bill out of our pockets.
I doubt many could afford to pay a single days worth today. I spent 3 days in ICU in 2015 for a stroke and the bill was over $20K and it was merely for observation.
We’ve had no coverage and coverage the last 8 looooong years. With coverage, an office visit with a primary care doctor comes to $118 charged by the provider on the EOB (Explanation of Benefits). Then it has a discount amount of $43, the insurance then pays $65 and the copay is $10. A self-pay office visit with the same primary care doctor cost $59.14 which was calculated after a self-pay discount and paying at time of visit.
Insurance never has made sense to me.