Doctors don't know the prices, and neither do the customers (not without doing a lot of homework that can't be done during emergencies). Even when you know the list prices, the actual prices your insurance negotiates are almost certainly different, so asking for list prices isn't enough.
Basically, in the U.S. the healthcare system is not exactly a free market as pricing signals are unclear, and most consumers have no idea how or inclination to price shop as they have been trained for decades to not bother. The problem is now not just a matter of how insurance is structured, but cultural.
Basically, in the U.S. the healthcare system is not exactly a free market as pricing signals are unclear, and most consumers have no idea how or inclination to price shop as they have been trained for decades to not bother. The problem is now not just a matter of how insurance is structured, but cultural.