Originally Posted by
MaxKts
Yeah - Except it is the other way around. If you have insurance the rate is higher unless your insurance company has worked out a limit for certain tests/procedures. If you are paying cash, the bill will usually be lower! You just have to let them know everything is coming out of your pocket instead of from some "rich" insurance company.
You are exactly wrong. Insurance companies and hospitals establish agreements wherein the hospital (or doctor) agrees to accept a reduce amount for the provided service. If you have no insurance, unless you're on state aid or Medicaid, you will be responsible for the entire cost of the procedure. Whether you can negotiate a lower price for service or not is something that your individual doctor or hospital may entertain, but you cannot count on that happening.