I am willing to bet your health insurance did not actually pay $44K, but rather the rate they had previously negotiated with an in-network providers for the ser

I am willing to bet your health insurance did not actually pay $44K, but rather the rate they had previously negotiated with an in-network providers for the services rendered. The high cost of healthcare stems from many systemic factors, all of which are pretty thoroughly screwed up. Tearing the system down and replacing it with something entirely new (perhaps a single-payer system, or a system with single-payer basic insurance) would be a great idea, but reorganizing an industry representing 17.9% of GDP[0] of one of the world's largest economies is a nontrivial undertaking, especially with one of the two major political parties dedicated to preserving the status quo by any means available. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_Stat...