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You absolutely can pay cash for medical services in the US, it's referred to as paying out of pocket.

Sure but the regulatory barriers are so high it's not fiscally practical for a normal person. I can walk into a pharmacy in Mexico and buy a Z-pak for strep; even for a poor Mexican that's easily obtainable all without insurance or state care.

I make a good wage but in USA with good insurance it would take me a days pay for same here after passing all the regulatory hurdles and costs and being billed for a doctor and that doctors malpractice risk overhead etc ad nauseum.

What are the difference between the regulatory barriers in mexico and the us that result in such a large difference of out of pocket cost?

I'm not sure what you mean by high regulatory barriers. I make an appointment, the very next question is "do you have insurance?" When the answer is no they inform me what it will cost, I pay with a credit card at thet time services are rendered and thats all there is to it. Whats regs got to do with it?

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