This, a 1000 times this. We just faced this this week.
Recently lost insurance due to a unexpected company closure (with apparently no COBRA responsibility in that case). So I started asking our current providers to find out what it would be to pay out of pocket for some services. Here's an actual item:
Provider bills $285
For out of pocket cash price, they will reduce by 25% (so $213 or so)
Our insurance however got a bigger discount and only had to pay $100 with no further patient responsibility (beyond deductible)
It absolutely should be illegal to price like that.
Recently lost insurance due to a unexpected company closure (with apparently no COBRA responsibility in that case). So I started asking our current providers to find out what it would be to pay out of pocket for some services. Here's an actual item:
Provider bills $285
For out of pocket cash price, they will reduce by 25% (so $213 or so)
Our insurance however got a bigger discount and only had to pay $100 with no further patient responsibility (beyond deductible)
It absolutely should be illegal to price like that.