What you describe is truly nightmarish. It’s appalling. I am just getting to know the American healthcare system as a recent immigrant from Canada and I am preparing for the worst. I can confidently say that what you describe would not happen there.
What would happen is a conservative provincial government gets elected and they decide to make cuts to healthcare. They refuse to hire enough doctors and hospitals and clinic have unacceptable wait times. People suffer and die. And the idiots keep voting for these corrupt politicians. This happened last spring in my home province of Ontario. Doug Ford won a majority and can do as he likes for the next 5 years. By the end of his term, healthcare will be in shambles and possibly even privatized. Then there will be lots of stories like yours.