These days, all it takes is one surprise medical bill to send a patient into bankruptcy. The United States’ health care system operates differently from many others in the world with high costs for the individual as a main, distinguishing characteristic. In fact, the higher prices mean the U.S. spends more on health care than other “developed countries,” a 2019 Johns Hopkins report found.
What’s more, almost one in three Americans worries about affording health care, according to a February 2020 survey from NBC News. (In June, a man who was hospitalized with Covid-19 for 62 days received a $1.1 million medical bill.)