I disagree. Even with insurance, it can be impossible to know how much you're going to pay in advance. I had a surgery a few years ago, and my insurer sat me do

I disagree. Even with insurance, it can be impossible to know how much you're going to pay in advance. I had a surgery a few years ago, and my insurer sat me down in advance and told me what was covered and what wasn't--the upshot of which was that I was told I'd only owe a $25 co-pay for the entire thing. And then after the procedure--wham--I was hit with hundreds of dollars of bills for things like an ultrasound, mandated as part of the procedure, performed in the same building by the ultrasound tech they sent me to ... who happened to be an independent contractor. WTF. The additional cost was mostly irrelevant to me, but the surprise billing, after the consultation, was maddening.