Ordinary medical bills have skyrocketed as well in the current system. I have personally been charged 3 times as much without insurance as I would have with ins

Ordinary medical bills have skyrocketed as well in the current system. I have personally been charged 3 times as much without insurance as I would have with insurance for a basic blood test, with a scheduled appointment. Things are even worse at the emergency room - an uninsured friend of mine was invoiced for thousands of dollars when he went to the ER for an infection. No hospital time, just a prescription for antibiotics. I'm not an expert on the reasons why that is the case. My understanding is that it is because 1) Health insurance companies are powerful negotiators compared to individual payers, and 2) Medicare/Medicaid pays "market rate" for services, so the market rate is driven up to increase margins on services paid for by the government. ER prices are driven up even further because the ER has to treat people even if they cannot pay.