If you are uninsured or not entitled i.e.; Medicare for pensioners, Medicaid for the ''poor'': The hospital you go to, if they receive and Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement is required to render you emergency care, stabilize your condition well enough to allow you to be allow you to be discharged "safely'' as in not dripping blood (to badly -- you might survive).

This may be in exaggeration but you will not get any first class care -- just the minimal. Then you get a bill for $14,000 for a broken arm at the full "chargemaster price". The chargemaster price is 400% to 1000% of what payers like private insurers contract reimbursement at. Or more than what the federal Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement price is. The Federal government will pay 20% as compensation if the patient does not pay after a time.

Makes no sense to you? No argument here ...