As others have said; this is normal in the EU (I'm not aware of exceptions in the EU). And I have never had to talk about finance at all in relation to healthcare; I think it's insult to injury to have to navigate insurance policies, bills etc while you or someone you love is ill, dying or died. Especially when you have insurance companies wiggling out of their responsibilities by not paying is a side of this much loved capitalism which I would not like to see appear here.