Re: your last paragraph: yes, that is how it works. That $1000 rate is known as the "chargemaster" rate and it's absurdly, incredibly inflated. A hospital maint

Re: your last paragraph: yes, that is how it works. That $1000 rate is known as the "chargemaster" rate and it's absurdly, incredibly inflated. A hospital maintains a chargemaster list, which is how they bill uninsured patients. Insurers negotiate rates which are a fraction of this chargemaster rate. The chargemaster rates are also not public, I believe. So, unintuitively, uninsured people (at least the ones who can pay their bills) are great for care provider revenue.