I'm one and make $11/hr.

Where is all the money going? Does the ambulance have a solid-gold steering wheel?

Most people don't/can't pay their hospital bills.

So prices are excessive because too many people don't pay their bills, leading more people to be unable to pay their bills, leading to even higher prices.

That is what we continue to be told, yes.

So my 15 minutes $600 allergy appointment that insurance refused to cover (after covering the same damn appointments for 12 years) is that high because of others, or so I keep hearing...

Most? Like, over 50%?

If this is true, the system is completely broken.

If it's not true, then the system is completely broken, but in a different way.

But yeah, I assume it's a combination of: * Most people pay through their insurance, so they don't have to pay the sticker price or anything resembling it * Some people going on payment plans and getting stuck in debt basically forever * Some people bargaining their bill down, paying pennies on the dollar * Some people going into collection, paying pennies on the dollar

Of course, it's absurd that all 3 out of 4 paths require you to take extra, often really painful steps (collection + bankruptcy, maintaining insurance, or long drawn-out negotiation) just to pay a reasonable price for something that is 100% non-optional and most countries provide for much-closer-to-free. But that's kinda what happens when the system is broken

Depends how you measure, but I feel pretty confident saying that most US hospital bills have never been fully paid off.

Hahaha... No, the ambulance is a 10 year old Chevy 2500 w/ 150k miles...

Profit?

You pay for the people that are not insured, can or do not pay, and also for the profit margin.