> The official hospital bill is a worst case that roughly nobody actually pays.
If someone has no insurance but does have enough assets to cover the lofty bill, I'd expect the hospital to seek to seize assets for the full amount. It's a safe bet there's a fair number of people who've ended up losing their house to pay for a few hours of tests, after the hospital refused to negotiate. Lesson: If you have assets, have health insurance to lower the risk of losing it all when you get scratched by a cat.
If someone has no insurance but does have enough assets to cover the lofty bill, I'd expect the hospital to seek to seize assets for the full amount. It's a safe bet there's a fair number of people who've ended up losing their house to pay for a few hours of tests, after the hospital refused to negotiate. Lesson: If you have assets, have health insurance to lower the risk of losing it all when you get scratched by a cat.