[stale2002]

It is absolutely NOT as inelastic as everyone assumes.

Most health issues are not emergencies. I as a consumer would be perfectly happy to shop around the market, and find the best deal on healthcare, if my efforts were rewards.

Unfortunately, prices are not transparent, and the costs are not payed directly by me. They are paid by my insurance provider, so why would I bother trying to reduce my bill by thousands of dollars, if someone else is paying for it anyway?

[xherberta]

I agree. The incentives are out of whack. Being a self-pay patient over the last several years has been enlightening. The health care people I've dealt with are generally ready to go well out of their way to help make care more affordable. Once I was given an unasked-for 55% discount on an ER visit. (They're happy they don't have to deal with an insurance company!)

I've heard that people with high-deductible plans are now finding it advantageous to just say they are self-pay to get the discounts.

For comparison shopping, healthcarebluebook.com can give an average price for a certain procedure in your area.