[tr0ut]

You have the wrong idea. A better example of what you're calling "free market" would be dentistry or something like Lasik surgery. You can shop around and figure out the prices because they are very much apparent since you pay out of pocket for the majority of the former and completely for the later.

Would Medicaid/Medicare be "free market"? Why bother shopping around when someone else picks up the tab?

Insurance companies mostly reflect the costs of the hospital. If the hospital charges you $50 for a bottle of Asprin, so be it. ICD10 and Meaningful Use were designed for billing not really for health care. Those were federal mandates not "free market"

Pre-existing conditions is a lot more tricky than you think. The political ploy is to think of a poor person with a serious illness being turned away by insurance because they don't want to deal with them. When in reality it can be you're obease or someone who just did not take care of themselves period. You can imagine a group pre-existing conditions patients could bankrupt a insurance company. What if to be "fair" you were charged the same as a person with a pre-exiting condition. Say someone that smoked 2 packs a day for 30 years?

ACA was just a big initiative to add more insurance companies to the mix. Now it is mandatory you pay insurance companies.

[tdb7893]

The underlying philosophy of mandating coverage for pre-existing conditions is the idea that everyone should be able to have basic medical care. With that idea it's really not that tricky to say pre-existing conditions should be covered.

[tr0ut]

I don't disagree with the philosophical purpose. Of course by simplifying the facts. You're leaving out the logistics of insurance companies that have to now take that responsibility on. Last I checked they dont work of the sake of goodness.

Better option would be single-payer. I digress...

[Cenk]

I recently read this great article about this:

http://time.com/4649914/why-the-doctor-takes-only-cash/

[neonhomer]

Here's their actual price listing. https://surgerycenterok.com/pricing/

It would be great if the insurance companies would get behind these kinds of prices as this is probably the same as their negotiate rates they pay other surgery centers. Seems like it would be a lot less hassle for them to process.