I had my gallbladder removed in 2009, and was lucky in that at the time I had what is still the best insurance I've ever had. The sticker price of the procedure was approximately $50k (ER visit + admission + emergency surgery the following morning), of which I paid less than 1%. But the amount I did pay was split between the hospital (at least two separate bills), the surgeon (who was a contractor for the hospital and billed separately), and my insurance (who paid something in full but two months later decided I actually owed them $20 for it). This is not counting the $100 ER copay which was refunded to me 90 days after I was admitted (ER copays are typically waived if you're actually admitted to the hospital for non-US folks).
I was barely out of college at the time so had my parents look over everything and it was as far as we could tell correct. But still a mountain of paperwork, and I did miss a legitimate bill and end up paying a $30 late fee on a < $100 bill, which was frustrating.
In England we're currently having a crisis in A&E units with unprecedented volumes of patient ("winter crush"[1]) and a shortage of nurses. Targets are being missed. 95% of people who turn up at A&E must be seen and treated, or admitted into a ward, within 4 hours. At present only about 92% of patients meet that target. At its worst only about 89% of patients met the target.
The trip to A&E would cost you your petrol money or cab fair. The treatment in A&E, and the hospital is free at the point of delivery[2]. The hospital might send you home with a month of medication which would again be free atpod. A regular prescription would cost £8.05 per item per month although there are many exemptions and many people don't have to pay for meds.
If you wanted to pay for your hospital visit you can. You get your own room and a free telly, maybe a bit more nursing and a few more HCAs. (In the NHS beds you possibly have a telly that you pay to use.)
The weird thing is that we get all this while we spend less per capita on healthcare than the US government. Free healthcare is cheaper than the US system. And you don't need to get rid of private provision either - so anyone who wants to pay at the point of delivery can.
[1] more people attend A&E in summer. But the people who attend in winter tend to be iller and to need a hospital admission.
[2] see how I nearly avoided "it's not free you pay for it in tax" comments
I was barely out of college at the time so had my parents look over everything and it was as far as we could tell correct. But still a mountain of paperwork, and I did miss a legitimate bill and end up paying a $30 late fee on a < $100 bill, which was frustrating.
So yeah. A mess, basically :)