Recently a friend of mine visited the emergency care in a private hospital in downtown SF with heavy stomach pain. It turned out to be a partial bowel obstruction, which thankfully sorted itself out with some conservative treatment.

My friend was discharged in a couple of days... with a bill of 70K USD. Except for an IV and a Ryles tube, there was hardly any other intervention.

Having just finished college, my friend did not have an insurance plan that could cover such a huge bill. Thankfully the state stepped in to help since the yearly income was below the federal poverty line. Otherwise, I can't imagine the plight.

For once, my friend was thankful for being a broke college grad.