I did not claim anything about what should or should not be subsidized by taxpayers. My comment was simply about the actual cost of providing ambulance services.
The fact that the insurance company can negotiate the bill to $500 indicates what the real price is. The $12k number is just fantasy numbers that healthcare providers throw out to start the negotiation.
> The fact that the insurance company can negotiate the bill to $500 indicates what the real price is.
That really depends on your definition of "real price", particularly considering how in a lot of developed countries that'd still be considered a pretty outrageous price to pay for such a situation, particularly while even having insurance.
I am using price in the economic sense of price, where the supply and demand curve meet. Such as the price of a good when you go to a market and haggle with various vendors.
It does not depend on who pays for it.
I did not intend to comment on who should or should not be liable for paying this price, simply that $500 seems like a reasonable price for an ambulance service.
The fact that the insurance company can negotiate the bill to $500 indicates what the real price is. The $12k number is just fantasy numbers that healthcare providers throw out to start the negotiation.