I did not know this. The ambulance situation is a shambles and wildly differs from state to state and in what your health insurance provider (if you have one) may not make you aware of. The article includes a comparison of all states’ ambulance services.
No, but I can only speak as to what I know.
Other countries using the same or similar logic/reasons would be unsurprising. People aren’t fundamentally different regardless of where they live, and culturally Australia has a lot in common with the USA … “good” and bad.