On the one hand, overpriced premium services is great way to finance core services. On the other hand, it gives influential people a distorted view of how most people experience the world. ("Doesn't even know the price of a gallon of milk.")
Also, I thought HIPAA would prevent that behavior.
Nothing in HIPAA would prevent that behavior. It does prevent hospital management from unauthorized access to your medical records for purposes unrelated to care delivery or billing. However it doesn't mention anything about access to public financial records.
"Many hospitals conduct nightly wealth screenings — using software that culls public data such as property records, contributions to political campaigns and other charities — to gauge which patients are most likely to be the source of large donations.
"Those who seem promising targets for fund-raising may receive a visit from a hospital executive in their rooms, as well as extra amenities like a bathrobe or a nicer waiting area for their families."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/24/business/hospitals-asking...