What published price? That’s my point. If you go to a hospital and try to ask what things cost BEFORE treatment, no one in the entire place has any idea what anything costs. They do not know the price of a room per day. They do not know the price of each procedure. Nothing. You are suppose to agree to pay when you have no idea what it will cost.
Four days and you can get a total bill of $80,000. Surprise!!! Your signature at admission says you agree to pay even though at the time of service, no one could offer so much as a guess of even any portion of the cost. No room rate. No procedure cost. No doctor fees. No hourly rate. Nothing.
Your complaint is valid. I used to maintain charge masters (price lists) for hospitals. Problem is pricing is too often based on units of time involved in treatment instead of a fee per diagnosis or procedure.