My experience is you can get some medical care w/o insurance. I have gone to walk in clinics for quick things like bronchitis. I also went to an eye doctor who referred me to a specialist. In both cases I had to pay upfront, though w/the eye docs, because it was a self-pay situation, I was given a discount. Also, if you have a medical emergency, a hospital is required to take you in, whether or not you have insurance. But for long term treatment, like cancer, you'd be stuck, I guess. No, I guess you'd die early. That happened to a friend of mine w/Hep C. Got to sick to work, lost the job, lost his insurance. He had some financial help after that, but not much. After a few years, he died.