I'm very sad it's come to this, but bankruptcy is what I was thinking.

That said, lets start the discussion:

a) They're only obligated to provide some treatment (Here's a band-aid for your tumor) to get to stability. That counts, right?

...and that seriously is the case. My aunt who had no insurance had to get a thyroid tumor removed. She got it done, but she had a less-than hospitable stay. Normally you get a day or two monitoring. She got...well... "Here's your homecare". I have to wonder

b) I've noticed they've gotten very good about seeing if you can pay or not. I don't know how legal it is, but like my elective birth control procedure was cash-n-carry (in a reputable clinic, even). My wife going to the ER got a scan of the discover card on admission.