While the provider may charge $2000 initially, what generally happens is the $2000 gets negotiated down by the insurer to something like reasonable, close to the $350. The guy who gets screwed is the man with no insurance (and thus no system to negotiate down the “full list price” rates) who has some assets, who gets socked for full price.
Hmm.
Why can’t there be a more open, market-based pricing for these procedures?