Comment on The Belmont Club,"Health care debate as viewed from Britain"

About a month or so ago my wireless mouse was eating batteries so I went to Home Depot and got the big set of 48 AA batteries in the G-D clamshell case. Taking out my very nice Gerber folding knife I proceeded to cut my thumb next to the nail. Cursing my stupidity and dripping blood I walked over to the nearest ER, a branch of Long Island Jewish. I told them I had no job and no insurance and no money and wanted to know if I should go to the City hospital or the VA or if I needed a stitch. They said not to worry and I sat for about an hour. Eventually a young man, possibly a med student but probably an intern, ran some water over the thumb, said I was fine and needed nothing and I could go home. I stopped at the desk and again they declined to quote any prices, although I had repeatedly asked what if anything I would be charged. A week later I received a bill for $1,111. They can go hang themselves. I will not pay. It is that simple and if I ever win the lottery then I will hire lawyers to charge them with fraud. As far as I am concerned it is the same as if you walked into a restaurant and looked at a menu and smelled the kitchen odors and then were handed a bill before you walked out. To me it is as if you and your neighbor found a box and were arguing over who it belonged to so you took it to a lawyer and asked him how much it would cost to settle the dispute and he said I'll tell you after we open the box, which turns out to have nothing but a roll of moldy toilet paper in it, resulting in the lawyer then charging you the thousand dollars.