Another important point: simply by virtue of having insurance of some description, you will get different pricing than if you're billed directly as an individu

Another important point: simply by virtue of having insurance of some description, you will get different pricing than if you're billed directly as an individual. That's because insurers pay the claim and then settle it with the policyholder, so the healthcare providers don't factor in the same delinquency / nonpayment risk that they apply to people who just walk in off the street and presumably pay in cash. You may get invoiced 2-2.5x more for the same procedure than you would if the billing were going through some kind of policy, which is in itself significant, never mind the limits, deductible or possibility of rescission.