[chimeracoder]

> Showing prices up front would be the very least we could do to start to clean up this fraudulent billing mess that is healthcare here in the US.

It would, but Medicare would never agree to that, because it would cut off a major source of indirect revenue for them.

[wmeredith]

Medicare is not a decision making body. What are you talking about?

[chimeracoder]

> Medicare is not a decision making body. What are you talking about?

CMS absolutely is a "decision making body", with direct authority over a whole number of matters.

But even beyond its office authority granted by Congress, Medicare (both the people who run it and the people who generally support it) are incredibly influential as well, and they would use that influence to block any policy that would affect Medicare so negatively (even if it would be good for the public at large)