On top of this, medical providers must disclose the full cost structure of any non-emergency service up front and get my initials, just like auto mechanics. Emergency services should be strongly regulated.
The goal here is to have price transparency where it matters: with the patient, and to prevent insurance from corrupting the market.
Abusive medical consolidation like we have in the Bay Area won’t happen, since there would be no benefit for providers to merge to improve their insurance contracts.
As evidence that this could work, look at dentistry. Every dental provider I have ever encountered can tell you, in advance, exactly what they will charge. The prices are not insane the way non-dental medical prices are. And there are no surprise bills in dentistry.
I've done it for a few childbirths with midwives and I've done it many times for dentists.
I think this used to be standard, and may relate to that whole annoyance about you being responsible for whatever charges aren't covered. When you give your insurance info to the medical provider, you're not changing who ultimately pays. The medical provider is simply offering two things: they will handle the paperwork and they will loan you the cost of the treatment until the insurance claim is processed.
Neither of which is the kind of medicine that is so badly corrupted by insurance. Try doing it for a routine non-elective procedure at almost any major hospital as you’ll have a rather different experience.
I do like the idea though.
How about taxing suppliers on the published rate, rather than what they actually get paid? That might stop them being quite as egregious. If they charge an uninsured person more for an equivalent procedure, their tax bill will suddenly go up.