“2) Healthcare providers are under no obligation to treat anyone without health insurance who can’t otherwise pay.”
When I was a kid there were charity hospitals in most large cities. Doctor’s were expected to donate some of their time to charity. I was in a doctor’s office when a farmer came in and handed over what appeared to be a cured ham and a basket of eggs. He nodded at the nurse and left. I went up and asked what that was about and the nurse said the farmer had traded food for services. Every month he brought in eggs and ham.
That would probably be against the law today. A doctor told me he was under contract to give the government the lowest price. If he undercharged a patient and the government found out he would have to lower his bill to them across the board.
The charity hospitals were driven out of business.
They were and it was a very sad day. The change from medicine as a calling to medicine as a business was brought on by Hillary Clinton's involvement. I was a resident at the time and it was a sea change. The best and most dedicated doctors rotated through the charity hospitals in Worcester and the care of the indigent was top notch. Within 5 year of Hillary the hospital closed followed by St Vincent's in NYC and others across the Nation.
My dad was a doctor and during the fifties much of our back yard landscaping was done in trade not to mention the beautiful 8mm rifle he got as payment.