[SkeuomorphicBee]

It is in my country, so why couldn't it be in the USA? Here we always know how much I'm going to pay for a procedure ahead of time, no surprises, procedures have sticker price just like groceries.

- If you have health insurance: you always know ahead of time what hospitals are in network, then the price for all out of pocket expenses are listed in the contract with the insurance company (prices adjusted yearly). You only ever deal with your insurer, out of pocket co-pays came in next months bill, just like a phone bill or credit card bill , it is actually illegal for a doctor or hospital to charge you directly for anything in that case. Any dispute (like the one in the article) is a business matter between the insurer and the hospital, nothing to do with you.

- If you don't have insurance and decide to go for a private hospital: the hospital will sell you a fixed price package for each procedure or a big package for the whole stay, each with a fixed contract signed ahead of time. There is no surprises, no one signs a "blank check" to the hospital like those "service agreements" in the USA.