So you did have an insurance plan, then...it was just a catastrophic one. Why do you think what happened to you is what happens to everyone else? Do you think we are all created in your image?
I'm particularly interested in the "...I used to bargain with my doctors..." bit. I'd love to know where he lives. I have lived in major cities for the last 20 years, and I can't remember the last time I saw a doctor who was willing to work for a pot of stew, and a couple of chickens. In the real world, doctors don't do that anymore. In fact, most doctors
can't do that anymore, as they are part of a larger practice, have office managers, and billing departments, and are not
allowed, by the bylaws of their practice, to make exceptions on the office fees. After all, can you imagine the legal world of shit a doctor would be if I learned that I was being charged $150 per visit, because my doctor knew "my insurance would cover it", while only charging you 10 bucks a visit?
He can make that claim all he likes, I smell bullshit. Either that, or he lives in Bumblefuck, ID, where the population is 150, and his doctor is the country doctor for the next three counties.