Earlier quoted context omitted.
In many places there aren't non-covered services on offer. And where there are, a fee schedule is published, publicly, in advance.
> And where there are, a fee schedule is published, publicly, in advance. So you're saying the patient is responsible for the payment when the service is not covered...
1. What services are medically necessary that you think aren't covered by the health service in another country? You'd likely be hard pressed to find any in the first place. I think that's an important aspect.
2. But say you had non-medically-necessary surgery, that isn't somehow covered by the health system. In that case...
a. The prices are actually listed ahead of time.
b. Who is owed the money may vary: it's not necessarily the service provider who may be owed, it could be the health system.
But yeah, in case 2, the patient is ultimately responsible, though my point is in most countries case (2) either doesn't exist or is extremely limited, or limited only to non-medically-necesary procedures.
> I.e., actual insurance.
Medical insurance isn't insurance. Insurance is something you get to cover you in the event of an unexpected cost. Humans will get sick, they will get cancer, they will get heart attacks and they will die. Something that pays for that isn't insurance, it's more of a structured payment plan. Your house probably won't burn down. You almost certainly, if all goes well, will die of cancer.