the spark that ignited into this spin-off thread.
big insurance companies get special negotiated rates for their members, but uninsured pay full price.
here's a real world example...
my dad had surgery at cedar sinai where the doc used the state-of-the-art da Vinci surgical system.
$70,000 (regular price)
$5,000 (insurer paid)
[at least that's what my dad thought after he got the bill breakdown.]