The hospitals have to publish not just their charges as billed, but also the actual amounts paid. Insurers negotiate discounts, and Medicare and Medicaid have set charges they pay. People who pay cash due to lack of insurance pay the most, which is to say that the poorest usually pay the most. The quickest reform would be to require hospitals to publish all their charges and payments and to charge cash customers no more than the Medicare or Medicaid payment rate, whichever is lowest.
I’m thinking of joining a Christian health sharing thing instead of insurance. But then I wouldn’t get the “negotiated” rate that my insurance company gets them down to. A moot point though - my insurance company won’t cover me as an individual anymore after being with them for 15+ years.