There are places online where prices for various procedures by hospital are given for the whole country. But if I'm bitten by a snake or having a heart attack or in a car wreck I don't think I'm going to be telling the ambulance driver, "I know it's half an hour further away but County General is 20% cheaper for major heart attacks. Go there!"
The problem I am describing is rampant. No other business can operate like that. It is shameful and takes advantage of the most vulnerable.
You can come up with a situation that does not fit. That does not excuse the big picture. The costs for hospital services are outrageous and they know it, hide, it, and gouge the most needy people.