But that same plumber can go to any hospital ER in America, get treated for his heart attack, take up an ICU bed for 2 days (at $3000/day), and a hospital bed for 3, and then skip out on paying anything.

Who reimburses the hospital, staff, and physicians? You realize that Medi/Medi pay something like $30 for an office visit, and only a fraction of the charges of any real health care?

At $30/patient, is it any wonder that physicians keep office visits under 10 minutes? They have hundreds of thousands in debt they need to pay off.

SAR, like EMS and health care, should be paid for. It's a service, not a "right" - at least until the laws in the US are changed.