The opposite also happens, where the uninsured price is a lot more than the insured price. I was in this sort of situation once. I needed a CT scan, but it wa

The opposite also happens, where the uninsured price is a lot more than the insured price. I was in this sort of situation once. I needed a CT scan, but it was on a late friday afternoon, and the hospital couldn't get prior approval from the insurance company. They quoted one price that they would bill the insurance company if it was approved, and another much larger priced that I would have to pay if the insurance company rejected the claim. (I ended up getting the CT scan the next day at a hospital that charged a lot less. I think it was covered by insurance.) The thing about this that's bad is that it's over-charging the people least likely to be able to repay, and (if they can come up with the cash) they're effectively subsidizing the insured customers. This is the other side of narrative that poor people are driving up health care costs for everyone else because they don't pay their bills.