I think you're pretty far off the mark here.

>90% of people have healthcare coverage in the U.S.[1]. Those that don't are likely illegal or homeless or in some way don't qualify for medical coverage (I also don't know how prisoners are counted in the data).

Many people I know visit the doctor way more often than they need to or should (I know those who receive it free to purchase it to use employer insurance - like myself).

People will seek medical treatment and in this case will overwhelm the system if they get nervous they have this disease.

[1] https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-26...

I have heard multiple times that one of the problems with American healthcare is that we are over treated. Part of the reason our healthcare costs are so much higher is because we tend to get large amounts of doctor visits, presciptions, and procedures compared to other nations. I wonder how this squares with the notion I keep seeing about how Americans will avoid the doctor as much as possible?

Yes, Americans will go to the doctor and demand antibiotics, even if that's not the optimal treatment.

But that's when they go to the doctor. A lot avoid going at all. When I suspected I had strep throat a couple months ago, I went to an in-network doctor and was charged ~$70. Additionally, that charge was unpredictable--when I went there, I had no idea if it would be free or $200, and when I left, they told me it was $0. They sent the bill a few weeks after dealing with my insurance.

To a lot of Americans, "this will cost somewhere between $0 and $200" is not something they can just shrug their shoulders at. It can actually affects their short-term finances in a significant way.

(Also, before anyone chimes in with "this is because they're irresponsible with budgeting", that's irrelevant to the point being raised here: A lot of Americans will avoid the doctor to avoid these bills. It doesn't matter whether we blame them or not--the effect is the same.)

And some extra bad news: It's not chiefly software engineers in this situation. I live with a teacher, a teaching assistant, and several food service workers. They're the ones who fall in the "doctor visits are too expensive" category.

Anecdotally, I know way more people who avoid the doctor due to unknown treatment costs than go too often. My relatives that work in healthcare seem to agree.

People with excellent health care insurance are often over treated. People with no insurance or high deductible insurance are under treated. There's also an ethic of pushing through colds and flus and not going to the doctor for them.

I hope you're right, but 10% or 5% of 300 million people are quite enough to get an epidemic around.