Most medicine doesn’t happen on an emergency basis. E.g. if you’re diagnosed with cancer, or find out you should get a heart bypass, you have time to shop around for doctors.
No you don't, because hospitals intentionally obfuscate their pricing, and in many cases it's impossible for them to even tell you what your final bill would be for a procedure.
This is the source of the problem. There is no 'market' to speak of. There needs to be laws requiring hospitals to provide prices up front and honor them after the fact.
And even in the case of emergency care, there's at least the potential that you could prepare in advance by familiarizing yourself with the market. But hospitals won't tell you what anything costs ahead of time, which is practically an invitation to gouge ("just leave your wallet and bank account passwords with the front desk...").
Even auto mechanics are required by law to give you a written estimate.
This is the source of the problem. There is no 'market' to speak of. There needs to be laws requiring hospitals to provide prices up front and honor them after the fact.