Being able to visit the emergency room and having to pay whatever they want isn't remotely the same as "provide healthcare for its citizens".

Hospitals may provide emergency care, but it's a poor substiture for proper long-term care with a primary care physician. It's also a horrible system for dealing with homeless and mentally ill patients, not to mention the chance of going bankrupt, and the overall effectiveness/ cost of the system vs. the benefits.

Saying it's only about who pays is not really doing justice to the problems of the American medical system.