This is horrible horrible horrible advice that may or may not have been facetious.
The main reason, in my experience, for having health insurance is that you DO NOT receive the same standard of care with it, even in emergencies.
I discovered this when I accidentally cut one of my digits nearly off, and had no health insurance. I did not receive the same standard of emergency care, even though I had the money to pay. I was scheduled for repair surgery over a week after the injury and literally needed to show the money before any procedures to save the digit because it was considered "elective" to do more than just stop the bleeding.
So if you do not have the money to pay, you might be astonished at what procedures are considered "elective" or "non-emergency."
Forget bankruptcy, insurance coverage influences quality of care, and access to care, regardless of what popular conception is.
Can't upvote your comment enough. A lot of Americans have this (utterly incorrect) idea that emergency room care is free and equal for everybody. That's only (somewhat) true when it comes to preventing you from dying right now in this hospital.
As a college student, I was studying abroad and came back on vacation. A buddy crashed our car and I went face-first through the window. I went to the nearby Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley. Maybe it was the privileged white vibe I exuded, but I was immediately attended to by three different nurses, who cleaned up the wounds and told me all about the stitches I was going to get, and how Dr. So-and-so (forget the name) was so good and he would be with me soon. Meanwhile, after stopping the bleeding, they asked me to fill out some paperwork.
After I filled it out (listing "None" as my insurer) I never saw Dr. So-and-so or even any of the nurses again. I got five packaged alcohol wet-napkins and was sent on my way. I have a bunch of permanent scar tissue inside my mouth as a result.
Still, in my case, I thought the experience was worth it to me personally as a learning experience.
But I am old enough now to know lots of people in the USA who have gone up against cancer. Some with good insurance, some with typical insurance, and some with none. The people with no insurance didn't get anywhere near the level of care that the others did.
If you are unlucky enough to contract a serious and dangerous disease, following am6110's advice above will probably increase your chances of suffering and dying prematurely, or even avoidably.
The main reason, in my experience, for having health insurance is that you DO NOT receive the same standard of care with it, even in emergencies.
I discovered this when I accidentally cut one of my digits nearly off, and had no health insurance. I did not receive the same standard of emergency care, even though I had the money to pay. I was scheduled for repair surgery over a week after the injury and literally needed to show the money before any procedures to save the digit because it was considered "elective" to do more than just stop the bleeding.
So if you do not have the money to pay, you might be astonished at what procedures are considered "elective" or "non-emergency."
Forget bankruptcy, insurance coverage influences quality of care, and access to care, regardless of what popular conception is.