[kiba]

Have you had a major illness requiring serious care? Apparently not. But you still answered the question. You know why that's relevant? Because you quite literally have no idea what you're talking about. Because you didn't and can't talk about how you would have fit comparison shopping in the busy schedule that goes with not dying.

Emergency care is serious care. I was rushed to the hospital. Is that's not "serious care"?

The notion that somebody is going to say, "Hey, I'm going to see if I can get a discount on dealing with my impending kidney failure" is so far from the reality of what's reasonable in a hospital setting that I don't know where to begin. Other than saying that I should have learned by now not to try to have rational conversations with fundamentalists, be they biblical, Freudian, Marxist, or free-market fundamentalists

Never mind. I guess you're right. In some circumstance, when you're healthy, you could comparison shop. When you're very ill, you can't comparison shop as well, due to mental state of mind. Still, I think my economic reasoning is not entirely without merit.

<strike>You obviously felt that your anecdote have more weight than my economic reasoning. Just because you don't comparison shop in your situation doesn't mean other people won't. Ever heard of medical tourism?</strike>

[krevis]

In some circumstance, when you're healthy, you could comparison shop.

Except: you can't. Try to find out how much a major medical procedure will cost you -- if you can find anyone who gives you any numbers at all, you'll be lucky if that's what you actually get charged. (And then try to find out how much your insurance, if you have any, will pay for! And then try to complain when the final bill is different!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_prices