Is it fair that hospitals and doctors can charge different rates to different markets?

Question

Under most circumstances, it is illegal in the US, for a company or service provider to charge a different rate for the same product or service to different markets. However, hospitals and doctors routinely charge people without medical insurance many times more what they would charge someone who has medical insurance. With the ever increasing premiums, and deductibles, and lack of benefits at work, families with children are finding it more and more difficult to afford any form of reasonable health care. Do you think it is fair that people who can't afford health insurance premiums must pay significantly more for the same service in the event they have to get medical care? Is this merely a policy to hold people hostage to for profit insurance companies?

Answer 1

This is what happens when no one, such as an insurance company is keeping watch and determining what they feel is a fair rate - a rate the doctors usually do not agree with.

Answer 2

I agree that it is not fair, but the blame lies not in the doctors or the hospitals. Generally, they set a standard fee for a service, but then contract with various insurers including Medicare and Medicaid as to what percentage of that fee they will accept. They are not contractually obligated to accept a lower fee from an uninsured person. Some doctors may choose to offer the uninsured person a discount. The milk of human kindness does not flow abundantly in the billing office of most hospitals.

In all the primary election falderal, I did not hear Senators Clinton, Obama or McCain mention this inequity. If they did, I missed it.