We have had such comparisons for MRIs posted on this thread already, given as examples of prices being much less at facilities that do not deal with insurers at

We have had such comparisons for MRIs posted on this thread already, given as examples of prices being much less at facilities that do not deal with insurers at all. While I would agree that having buying power should bring down prices, this can be completely outweighed by the middleman trying to maximise profits. If prices are kept high, for instance, then you can make more money per person, so therefore having less administrative overhead per dollar made and so more profit margin. For a non-medical example of this, just have a look at Apple, who make tons more money than their competitors, despite shifting less product, by simply ignoring the bottom end of the market.