My roommate didn't have insurance when she wound up with alcohol poisoning/seizures, so we called the ambulance, and they had to drive like twenty miles to get to where we were - it was pretty rural - and they took her to the hospital, where she was stabilized. they kept her overnight for observation, and she got a bill for I think a couple grand?
surgery and a week long stay oh my god. thousands. thousands of dollars. hospitals have to stabilize people, you can't turn someone away if they're dying, from what I understand, but the minute they're stable and conscious someone's going to be looking for insurance or signing you up for medicare/any other low-income insurance program.
(my mom had to go to the emergency room because she had a seizure and forgot where she lived - she was conscious, but before they started the - MRI, I think? - they actually had someone come in checking her insurance. so.)
Re: Are Americans charged for emergency hospital care?
My roommate didn't have insurance when she wound up with alcohol poisoning/seizures, so we called the ambulance, and they had to drive like twenty miles to get to where we were - it was pretty rural - and they took her to the hospital, where she was stabilized. they kept her overnight for observation, and she got a bill for I think a couple grand?
surgery and a week long stay oh my god. thousands. thousands of dollars. hospitals have to stabilize people, you can't turn someone away if they're dying, from what I understand, but the minute they're stable and conscious someone's going to be looking for insurance or signing you up for medicare/any other low-income insurance program.
(my mom had to go to the emergency room because she had a seizure and forgot where she lived - she was conscious, but before they started the - MRI, I think? - they actually had someone come in checking her insurance. so.)