“Free market. But make health care providers advertise their pricing. No more back room deals and different prices for different folks.”
Amen to that. How does one shop around when nobody will give you numbers until the bill is printed.
Scenarrio 1:
I worked in a clinic. A patient will call, and state they want an appointment for a problem, and you quote them a price for that particular problem. They show up for the visit, and then when the doctor is in front of them, they add on more health problems than what they originally told the person who quoted them the price. This results in a longer visit. Then, when they get the bill, the patient is angry because they were billed at a higher rate than what was quoted. This is a major factor in why clinics will not give out pricing.
Scenario 2:
You are admitted in the hospital for an elective procedure. Patient A is younger, and recovers quickly and leaves the hospital in 2 days. Patient B has much more medical problems, , and winds up staying in the hospital for 7 days. Patient B should have to pay more, and hospitals do not have the ability to know in advance how a patient is going to recover from a treatment. That is why hospitals do not quote prices, because they do not know how long you will be in the hospital, and how many interventions you might need.