We know that hospitals are required to treat the sick and/or injured regardless of whether they can pay or not. I recall reading a statement by a UPMC oficial whereby he claimed UPMC loved elective surgery. Elective surgery as you know generally is hip and/or knee replacement. Why do they like it? Because they can charge as much as the market will bear and who has such surgery? Seniors mostly on Medicare so the hospital knows it will get paid. But then what happens? Medicare takes a beating so the premiums are increased. So in essence Seniors pay for those without insurance and so does everyone else with health insurance. If everyone had insurance maybe premiums would not be so outrageous. We are required by law here in Pennsylvania to carry vehicle insurance. If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, your insurance company will have to pay. Then what happens? Your premium goes up. Insurance companies do not like to lose money. Your home ownwers policy will go up even if you never had a claim. Why? Because they had to pay for the claims in tornado and hurricane country.

That's the way insurance works.

I don't like paying for someone else's free health care, but we all do.