It's not just that it's too expensive. It's the uncertainty. No one knows how much anything costs until you get the bill several months afterwards. Every time you go to the doctor, you're giving them a blank check.

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TitaRusell 21 hours ago | parent [-]

There is a story of my aunt who got bitten by a snake when camping.

She was foolish enough not to take out travel insurance. There was no way she was getting a medevac so a park ranger watched over her for a few days while her body was fighting death.

This is why you should always have travel insurance because outside of Europe the first thing a doctor asks for is a credit card.

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MiroslavPokorny 9 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Not true.

Doctors and hospitals in Australia dont ask for a credit card before or after you leave.

There are many other countries around the world who dont ask, not really fair to paint the world that way.

	▲	pseudohadamard 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I think "outside of the US" would be a more accurate summary of the situation. If something happens to me here I go to the hospital, fill out the intake form, get treated, and maybe get given a followup appointment with my GP. That's all, there's no payment required.

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tim333 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

In a lot of the developing world it's quite reasonable - you pay like $80 or something and that's it. Nowhere else is it as financially scary as the US.