The most they can that the locals can afford.
Someone that wants to shave a few points does so planning on the increased traffic offsetting the lower price.
Insurance is the REASON health care costs are what they are.
The insurance company guarantees the health care provider a large bag of money for their services, the health care provider charges astronomical fees to dissuade all but the most well off from paying their way out of pocket, and both the insurance and health care providers enjoy a higher standard of living.
Nice scam.
Sure is... And most are too stupid to see it. I do have one thing to argue though...
“The insurance company guarantees the health care provider a large bag of money for their services,”
The insurance companies cry about how little profit they make. Yet they are actually only paying 5-10 cents on the dollar for services billed. In the meantime they are raping the policy holders with premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. It’s all BS...
Basically they are reaping it all in and it only costs them when there is a case of emergency. until then what you are paying out of pocket BEFORE the cost of the premium is covering all the bill totals after they are negotiated down anyways. So the premium ends up being mostly profit.
And the “balance” healthcare providers don’t get from the insurance companies after “negotiating” the price is written off their taxes so that the burden goes to the taxpayers and not the insurance Co. or themselves.
Just deregulate it and all this will fix it’s self and the system will become the best and cheapest in the world within a few years.