Helping without consideration of the cost is something we do because it's an essential aspect of our identity as humans. The ability to reimburse the cost without unreasonable hardship might play some role after the fact, but reimbursement must never be mandatory. We would inevitably start considering the ability to pay before deciding to help. In so doing, we would be denying our core identity.
Shouldn't ambulance service be free then?
All healthcare related charges should be free for everyone... Not just for the rich.
When I first started watching American TV shows in my teens, one of the things that deeply struck me was how efficient the emergency response and police response seemed in America. Ofcourse, I was naive, and didn't realise till later that the US police don't have 10 minutes response time to a 911 call or that the emergency services are not free. That ambulances charge 1000's of dollars took away a lot of sheen of America, in my perception - hell, if we have to pay, I too could get similar VIP service in India for half that amount.