A question for Americans, or anyone else who pays for health insurance

That's insane! I have a friend in New York who told me he feels "lucky" that he had polio as a youngster (he's in his late 50s) because otherwise, he wouldn't qualify for medicaid or any other health insurance because he "makes too much money". He is now retired, but because he was smart and he and his wife were very frugal throughout their working years, he has too high an income (which is strange to say, as it's mostly his own money that he's socked away) to be considered "needy enough" for aid, and he's not old enough yet to qualify for government aid. (Social Security, I believe it's called?) Anyway, I can't believe the high-cost of medical care in the US. People may balk at Canada's not-for-profit system, and it may not be "the best" in the world, but it helps out a lot of people who couldn't otherwise afford it.