In the health care business this happens when someone who is employed and has health insurance is too poor to meet the out of pocket spending requirements of their insurance policy. When they get sick and discover this, they apply for government assistance. If they qualify the state pays for their out of pocket expenses and they get health care.

Usually they do this after talking to a financial counselor at a hospital or doctors office. The hospital or doctors office helps them because this is the only way it will see its own bills paid.

These people do have employer sponsored health insurance - usually one of those groovy new high deductible plans that require several thousand dollars out of pocket - and Wonks Anonymous supposes that we should be grateful for that. Nevertheless he would like to point out that these employers are saving considerable money on premiums while shifting the costs off onto the rest of us. Which would include employers who feel obliged to provide real health insurance.