The Europeans commenting here are demonstrating just how fucked up and inaccessible the US healthcare system is relative to other countries with their delightfully innocent questioning, "why don't you just stroll down to your local doctor and get that taken care of?"

For starters, Google medical bankruptcies in the US. I just did this with the intent of providing one concise link, but the information is so widespread, I couldn't do it.

I have health insurance. For me to even say hello to a doctor is going to cost me $5,000 out of pocket.

The last time I had actual experience with a doctor was about seven years ago when my daughter had a sudden allergic reaction to an unknown substance. She couldn't breathe. My only option was to take her to one of the many private for profit emergency rooms where they gave her two Benadryl and an epi pen. That cost me $1,600 cash. My insurance company told me that I should have taken the time to find an appropriate in network doctor and made an appointment to see my daughter, who again, wasn't breathing. (To clarify, she was breathing, but struggling mightily to do so, so the five minutes to throw her in the car and drive her to the ER was sufficient time)

I'm fortunate that I had the money. Many people don't.

And that's for a simple pill that you can get in the supermarket for a few cents. Imagine a real chronic condition. You're done financially unless you're independently wealthy.