Unfortunately, I wasn't clear in my comment above like I was in other comments in this thread. I am specifically referring to a not-for-profit focused healthcare system. If the choice is between profits and the care necessary to help a life, then it boils down to the contractual obligation of the insurer given the level of coverage purchased. In a nationalized healthcare system where costs are spread across all of society and the government has more or less determined the pool of healthcare dollars available by specifying the premium spent per citizen, there most certainly is a cost benefit analysis to consider.