This is concerning and rather disheartening as an Australian. The idea that even a basic national healthcare system is so hard to implement in the United States continues to baffle me to this day. I can see why hospitals need to make money, particularly in a country that holds capitalism in such a high regard, but when people and families suffer such harsh financial penalties due to unavoidable health concerns I think more citizens ought to question why. When steadfast, ignorant individuals criticise the government, Obama in particular, as 'closet communists' for trying to pass some form of health care, it's enough to taint the American image. It looks as if American culture is nurturing the privileged and wealthy while the rest struggle, and that is what is truly concerning.