Healthcare in this country is a bunch of absolute crap for those who actually pay for it.

Happy Friday. I'm pissed off. I have primo insurance with a deductible. I understand that. Toddler was sick on a Sunday, had to go to ER. Pay my co-pay, expect to get bill. It's the terms of my insurance.

ER filled with non-payers. Wife works in same hospital system. They operate on homeless all the time. No way to pay. Hospital routinely eats $250K in costs.

I get a bill in. I owe $608.00. Rough but whatever. I call up the billing office.

I said, "Look, I understand you're trying to collect and this bill, and I understand you offer cash discounts for those unable to pay. All I've got is $490.00 left on this FSA bill. Can you take that and settle the account?" It's .80 on the dollar but they've already been paid a portion by insurance. I'm paying on time. Maybe they do me a solid. They give cash service discounts all the time.

This lady proceeds to tell me that they offer no discounts and that all bills must be paid in full. We are essentially inflexible.

Now, look, I understand I owe them this money, but I kind of got peeved because I know FOR A FACT that they routinely. Routinely EAT MILLIONS of DOLLARS in surgical costs. ROUTINELY see patients with no way to pay and no way to collect.

There is $140 BILLION in unrecoverable medical debt in the US right now. The ones who pay are the ones that are given no accommodation. I don't know why this aggravated me so much over $100.00, but probably because I know how these hospitals operate and how much debt is never recovered.