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$8k isn't the hospital's cost of your care, it's what they want for your care. It's that high because the crazy insurance/government care hybrid system we have removes all competition from the marketplace and hospitals are free to stick it to uninsured patients. $8k is an obviously ridiculous price far exceeding their cost plus a reasonable profit margin and medicaid or an insurance company would take one look at it and cut it down to a reasonable price.

Think of it like this. You go to dinner but the prices aren't posted on the menu. When you get your bill it's $500 while the guy at the table next to you gets his bill and it's $25 for the same meal, the difference being that his company has a pre-negotiated price list that keeps the restaurant from charging arbitrary prices for food, you don't have that so they can charge whatever they want and there really isn't anything you can do about it, there's no law saying they can't do it.

The "system" is designed so you're screwed if you try to pay for your own health care, you end up being charged many times a fair price. It almost forces you into either having overpriced health insurance or being a freeloader on medicaid. It leaves prople little other choice because unless you're allied with an insurer the hospitals are going to stick it to you just because they can.