When establishing healthcare policies such as those discussed in this case, what should be considered?

Shannon was a healthy young man, so it was a shock to wake with a serious pain in his abdomen. He was not certain, but he feared appendicitis.
He worked for an outdoor company that did not provide health insurance, so he was concerned about the cost of going to the doctor. He had very limited savings but had been saving to purchase a house and had $12,000 in the bank. The pain continued to worsen, until he felt he did not have a choice, so he woke his partner and had her drive him to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC)—the only hospital in the county.
At the hospital, Shannon received a CT scan. He was told he had acute appendicitis and needed immediate surgery. Shannon had surgery that night, and was discharged the next day.
A couple of days later, Shannon was doubled over in pain and had to go back to the hospital. Another CT scan showed a large blood clot in his abdomen, which appeared to be a complication from his surgery. The surgeon was called, and Shannon was rushed back into surgery to remove the clot.
Although this surgery was also successful, Shannon had to spend four more days in the hospital. Recovery was difficult but after a couple of months he was starting to feel much better—until the bills for his surgeries started to arrive.
Shannon was shocked to see that the hospital bills came to $80,232 for both surgeries. The appendectomy was billed at $35,906 and the surgery to remove the blood clot was billed at $44,326. This did not include additional bills from the surgeon, anesthesiologist, pathologist, or radiologist that amounted to more than $10,000.