After Surgery, Surprise $117,000 Medical Bill From Doctor He Didn’t Know - NYTimes.com

I think the biggest problem is that we the patients have dropped out of the deal for our health care. We are not given an estimate up front, progress billing and a comprehensive statement at the end. It is the private affair of insurers and health care providers. That has always struck me as very dumb. We should be involved, advocating for ourselves and for benefits we might earn from insurers if successful in reducing costs.