That doesn't mean they can't send them an astronomical bill. But if they can never pay it, then it's blood from turnip time.
We need a medically caused bankruptcy clause in our bankruptcy laws that permits folks to keep their houses, cars, etc.
The problem with this issue is that there are so many problems that it is impossible to come up with a reasonable solution. The problem has been aggravzted by the governments failure to secure the borders and the failure to prosecute people for defrauding hospitals and doctors and employers by the use of fraudulent ID and other documents.
The cost of this fraud is generally not passed on to insurance companies as they have all managed to work sweetheart deals with providers and generally get a discount of anywhere from 25% to 90% off the usual and customary bills. But the poor schmuck who goes in without insurance and has any assets at all and is honest enough to give his real name is bound to lose everything as he is not going to be able to claim any of the discounts if he can convince anyone to treat him in the first place.
Finally the emergency rooms in California (and most border states) are being used as the general practitioners for the poor and the illegal alien crowd, so if you go in for a coronary there is a possibility that your care may be delayed just enough to ensure your early departure into the hereafter.
The taxpayers are currently footing the bill for all the illegal aliens, but we don't seem willing to elect anyone who is willing to tackle that mess so we are stuck with a broken system and no viable cure. And when anyone suggests that adopting some kind of system where those who are benefiting from the illegal alien crowd (i.e., employers) pay for the cost of insuring some of these people, they get accused of being a "complete communist".
Well I've been thinking out loud on this thread. I mentioned a real life case where a young mother probably died because she postponed medical treatment because she could not afford it and was not dishonest enough to go to the emergency room and give a fake name. I suspect that happens a lot. But I have learned not to expect sympathy from this crowd.