>>>bout 18 months back I spent less than 8 hours in the hospital having
>>>gall bladder and hernia surgery.  Total bill  - almost 40,000 USD.<
>>
>> Who had to write the check?
>
> BC/BS of Delaware.  Did not cost me a dime.

Is that a private insurance organisation? If so, it certainly did cost
you - all those premiums you've been paying.

AIUI in your neck of the woods it's pretty difficult to get quality
care, especially if it's an urgent thing unless, you are well insured.

Here, where we are more inclined to the UK model of "universal health
care for all", although that's pretty much changing I believe, the
options are different.

Whilst I have private health insurance cover I have found it more
practical, even from a "standard of care" point of view, to tell a
little white lie and say I have no private health cover whenever lately
I've needed hospitalisation. All three times of it, or is it four? Those
sessions also didn't require me to pay a cent but the private ones
certainly would have. Or so I believe, as usual the opinions are many
and varied.

The curious thing is that until 1996 I have never once, except when I
was born, overnighted in a hospital and I was born early in 1941.

The only things which have ever been taken out of me are my tonsils
(about age six - I think - I went home after it) and a few teeth but, of
course, the older we get, the more decrepit we get.

Right now I'm fighting a corneal ulcer (a tiny pimple in the cornea of
the eye) which has been around for some two plus years and I can't seem
to get rid of. Frustrating in the extreme but, no, at least it requires
no hospitalisation.

Cheers,

Christian