This could have been much much easier if they just required the medical equivalent of certificate transparency. Every insurance company is required to post publicly every single claim they receive, the full information of the provider(s), the name/code of the plan, the billing codes, whether it was approved or denied, how much the insurance was billed, and how much insurance actually paid (where paid doesn't mean discount, it means the literal dollars that left the insurance company's bank account), and the "patient responsibility" along with where the patient was with regards to their deductible and oopm. Every medical provider is required to do the same every time they create a bill.

Fine, "you don't know" how much things will cost. We can figure it out for you. No thoughts, head empty, just post and sign every bill you generate as it comes.