The other problem is the negotiated rates. When I had cancer and was in the hospital, I only saw one bill. It was for about $22,000; the insurance company paid about $3,500 leaving the hospital to write off the rest. Now something there is out of whack. Did the hospital overcharge or the insurance company underpay? Or something in between? With that much of a discrepancy, it is easy for me to understand why the medical facilities run so tight and toss you out so fast.