Syag
I’m sorry about the difficulty your daughter went through.
Though a few points /questions
1) Her difficulty highlights how bad private health insurance is, and is MORE of a reason to support a government run system (like Medicare or the VA). I am assuming The “provider” was a private company albeit one contracted by the government. (Please correct me if I’m wrong) In a Government run system this would not happen. Unless of course the Government shut down.
2) While her credit score going down is bad, many Americans go bankrupt from medical expensses. This is not a thing in most Western countries (Whether it should be or not is debatable, AND the main point of contention in my opinion, as pointed out before). Financial ruin due to medical costs is exactly the problem. Saying she still faces difficulty means we haven’t gone far enough in overhauling the system, it does not mean the old system was better
3) 14,000 out of pocket; does that include premiums and deductibles/copays? if so that is quite reasonable if it is for a family it is a bargain