It's a great point. But then the other side of the equation is, when the providers charge too much and the insurance won't approve, or later (months later) dec

It's a great point. But then the other side of the equation is, when the providers charge too much and the insurance won't approve, or later (months later) decided they weren't paying and now there's a bill, then guess who gets the surprise in the mail. It's the customer, the patient, who has to mediate between these kafkaesque entities. If insurance fought behind the scenes with each provider instead of blaming the patient, maybe they wouldn't be viewed as the bad guys so much. The health care system - insurance and provider - needs a centralized perspective rather than attacking this or that piece of it. That's also how reform should happen - no one wants to hear it, but it has to be planned centrally or at least a central authority should expand the legal guard rails. It already exists with Medicare, why not expand on that idea and cover more ages?