Why What ? I really don't understand what point you are trying to make , Private hospitals are like any other private companies, they can and do charge what they want As long as they are open and up front about the possible costs involved that's fair enough Nobody should have to deal with nasty surprises Of course the national healthcare scheme does not include private hospitals I have never heard of any private hospitals requesting a credit check , probably because as foreigners we can't get credit here, but I have heard of plenty of people being asked for proof of insurance , and if they had none , then substantial sums of money 100k to 300k were required to be handed over before any treatment commenced The value of life here or anywhere else is a subject for another discussion,