A simple visit to a primary care doctor costs a patient anywhere from $27 to $600.
The actual cost including discounts, insurance reimbursements, government subsidies, and third-party payments makes it difficult to decipher the true number.
That's the major problem for healthcare in America: No one knows the true cost because prices depend on who's actually paying. Somebody else is always footing the bill.
For an American with employer-based health insurance, the average is $224. Sometimes it can be reduced to a $27 co-pay. For those paying with cash and no insurance, the average is $160. For older Americans on Medicare, veterans, disabled patients or those near the poverty line with children on Medicaid, approximately 36% of the population, the cost varies even more depending on the provider and whether they accept government reimbursements.