While technically true, hospital sticker prices actually are extreme because hospitals try to impress insurers with gigantic discounts off a fictitious base price, which no one pays except the unfortunate middle class person who finds themselves in an emergency without adequate health insurance.
This is critical. I get these "Explanation of Benefits" from United, and they always show some enormous sticker price with a "discount." Something is clearly whack with these discounts.
It would be too much credit to call it "financial engineering". Do you know who mostly benefits from these (basically) fraudulent "discounts"?
I think US has a much larger need for welfare than Denmark, or actually maybe all Western nations. So, welfare and care for the homeless is super pricey. IMO, this a byproduct of the extreme form of capitalism practiced in the US.
Welfare -- my 30%+ federal income taxes
Medicare -- my income is taxed for it.
MediCal(California only) - my 10%+ state income taxes.
Uninsured/homeless goes to emergency room and hospital writes it off -- my 30%+ federail income taxes and my 10%+ state income taxes
City spends millions on homeless -- my 10% state income taxes and probably a bit of my property taxes.
On top of it, thousands per year of monthly medical insurance premiums for family of 3, thousands per year of "deductibles" before insurance kicks in.
This cannot be better than just paying high taxes and receiving high benefits for it.