Yes, they should be able to tell you, but they can't because they don't know. There is a secret list of prices that are over-inflated which is used to send claims to insurance companies, with the understanding that the insurance companies will reject these prices and "allow" lower ones so they look like they are saving the patient money. The insurance company pays some portion of that, and passes the rest onto the patient. That's the number most patients want to know when they ask how much something costs, but the only way to find out is to submit the claim.

If you're paying cash, you're going to get charged that over-inflated price. It's up to you to negotiate a reduced "allowed" price, like the insurance companies do, except you have no clout. You're also not allowed to know what those prices are; they're secret because if they weren't the whole scam would be a lot more obvious and would probably fall apart. (Eg: get challenged in court)