> That's certainly not true. Try it.

Your suggestion is laughable. We asked three different hospitals what the cost for our daughter's birth was going to be; none of them could provide us with the answer until after the claim was submitted to our insurance. The out of pocket from the hospital we picked was $12k.

Now negotiating a bill down after the fact? Sure, if you can't afford to pay and document it, it can be done. But if you can afford to pay? Be prepared to be raked over the coals.

US healthcare sucks, and your anecdotal evidence is weak at best.