Let me repeat—ICE! It sounds like your muscles are spasming (not a heart attack), and you need to get them to cool down. Heat will only make it worse. There’s a lot of that chemical that makes muscles tighten running around, and I believe that cooling the muscles down makes it harder for that chemical to travel.
Just lie down, pack ice around you (in ice bags, or those things you buy a drug stores). You might want to keep your shirt on the inside, but I like the ice bag to be directly in contact with my skin. You’ll need a lot since it’s all the way around your chest and back. But you should feel the pain subsiding within an hour. Don’t try to move after that.
At the same time, you probably want to find out the cause of this. I’ve never experienced anything like it, just a lot of spasms in my back and neck. If it’s a slipped disc, like @Cruiser said, I would think a doctor would know how to help. I would think you could go to a regular doctor to start out with. They’ll know whether you need further analysis. Perhaps you might need an x-ray.
As to payment—let’s hope you are on your parent’s insurance. Then it’ll be nothing more than the copayment costs.
As to health—a hospital has to see you, even if you can’t pay. They have to treat you. If you never pay, they write it off as uncompensated care. Health care costs are the largest source of bankruptcies in the US. But you can’t worry about that. It’s important to get the care you need first, and worry about payment later. You have no idea how many people don’t pay. Sure, the collectors will call, and your credit may suffer, but you can work around that. Eventually you go back to the hospital and cut a deal.
Editorial note: isn’t health care reform wonderful? People still think about cost before health. I’m just so proud to live in a country where insured people think the poor health of others doesn’t affect them.
That was sarcasm for those who didn’t get it.