I helped someone with (real) cancer through treatment and they didn't have insurance. For regular office visits, the cost of the visit had to be paid up front. For scans, which were done at the hospital, the hospital required 15% up front (which was not insignificant, because things like PETs are expensive as hell) for the first scan, and then invoiced any further scans. So, the first PET, first CT: 15% each. Additional PETs/CTs as they went through the process were invoiced, minus the charity amount the hospital subtracted. Chemo was invoiced entirely, except for the initial office visit to get a plan of action, which was paid up front. Ditto for radiation treatment. Bloodwork done at the hospital was always invoiced. Bloodwork at individual lab offices had to be paid up front (so, after that one lab visit, every other blood draw was at the hospital, LOL). The biggest expense was the initial surgery. That one required a good chunk of money up front, somewhere around 12 grand. That amount did not cover the full bill, of course, and the rest was invoiced. Doctors and hospitals bill different rates for insured versus uninsured - usually less for uninsured, since they have no overhead to deal with by billing insurance companies - but it's still a ton of money to get treated for major medical/catastrophic medical issues, and it's no wonder so many people declare bankruptcy when they have an event like cancer and they are uninsured.
