An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back

by Elisabeth Rosenthal

In fact, history shows that once a procedure is covered by insurance, its sticker price generally goes up because patients are largely insulated from the cost.

The billed price of an item could be completely decoupled from its actual cost. Items that had previously been included in the charge for the operating room or a hospital day could be billed separately.