How to Cut Your Health-Care Bill: Pay Cash

[Orrex]

16. Again, the advice is "have more money"

Well, no: if you have a bronze plan your exposure to medical costs is limited to $6000. That's it. Paying back $6000 can suck, but it's not going to drive a family into eternal ruin like $175,000 can.

$6000 can certainly ruin a family--it is a lie to claim otherwise.

Here's how it works: while paying your $6000 bill, you fall behind on your rent and face eviction. Or you fall behind on your car payment and your car is repo'ed, so now you can't get to work, you lose your job, and then you lose your house.

All because of that $6000 bill that you pretended was easy to afford.

$6000 is for an individual, by the way. If two family members suffer health issues, it's $13,000.

Why the hell is DU so resistant to the idea of the patient having any agency here?

Bullshit. That's not the objection. The objection is that the reality of healthcare costs deny "agency" as a matter of course, and it is flatly dishonest of you to claim otherwise.

Also, before you trot out any nonsense about "healthcare shopping" or other bullshit Rightwing memes, we need to recall that such shopping is impossible, since hospitals won't or can't provide an itemized bill prior to service.