charliehall.
For the first $5000 of expenses (will cover anything less than major surgery) being uninsured makes a profit for the guy. Note the person didn’t mention a preexisting condition – normal people don’t run up $5K of medical bills. Even a broken bone or a trip to the emergency room won’t result in being out enough to make insurance cost efficient.
A serious “surprise” will probably result in the person becoming unemployed (remember, if he/she is paid off the books, they have little job security and no sick pay, and probably not a great deal of prospects of staying employed – leading to medicaid eligibility.
Hospitals have to take people in an emergency – and if they argue about the money you can threaten to file chapter 7.
If the person is actually likely to need insurance, and has assets, and has a real job- then they need insurance. But then, they wouldn’t be asking.