Even Insured Americans Can’t Afford Medical Bills

when you take the consumer out of the equation and collectivize bills' the service provider sees bottomless pits of money. Then make it nearly impossible to comparison shop.

The last time you saw a specialist' could they/would they tell you upfront how much the tests or procedure would cost?

If you knew the exact course of treatment, and tried to cost shop other providers for the same treatment, would the second provider give you a quote on the cost? Not without them seeing you first and insurance denying payment for a second opinion.

This is what I know. A few years back I had to have a lifesaving non-emergency cardiac procedure. It took me countless hours over two months to get a "your costs will be about" estimate. I was told that estimate could change radically once they opened me up.

The cost of flying to Panama, having my wife stay in a nice hotel for two weeks, my treatment and three days of recovery in hospital and 11 days in the nice hotel was less (considerably) than the deductible for treatment in the US.
_I was 100% out of pocket.
_My doctor was a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Medicine.
_Most of the nurses who attended me were trained in the US or Europe.

Just keeps getting worse