system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How can hospitals charge as much as they do?

I read and article on Reddit earlier today about a lady who was hospitalized for like 10 days in a coma. Her bill came out to close to $250,000. How is this even possible or legal? How do they justify thess ludicrous prices?
gpt
They have large overhead that not only includes the running of the building, paying people, but massive malpractice insurance rates and other things. This is also a free capitalist country and you can charge whatever you want for any product or service and either people will pay it, or they wont. If you do not pay you will either have to lower your price, or go out of business. With hospitals most people pay.