>Hospitals don't have to accept Medicare or Medicaid patients.
An emergency room has to treat anyone until they're stable, regardless of their means to pay. You don't exactly have time to shop around for an affordable doctor if you've just had a heart attack.
Why do you think medical debt is a key reason for 2/3rds of US bankruptcies?
While I’m philosophically aligned with the medical-expenses-lead-to-bankruptcies narrative, it’s worth noting that the 2/3 number is based on a drastic overcounting of people’s reported expenses.
If I mention a $500 hospital bill, but put $50,000 on credit cards for run of the mill spending beyond my means, I get counted in that 2/3rds.
A patient is accepted, cared for, and cannot pay. The patient has medicare. Would you, as a hospital, refuse any payment; or would you take what you could get (medicare)? A below-market rate is bad, but nothing is worse.
