To the point I made earlier about medical costs and billing, the Washington Post is running a series of articles describing some of the billing abuses by hospitals. The last one my wife read to me (she's the one with the subscription), a man went in for a colonoscopy. The doctor fee: $19,000. But gets better... the doctor removed 2 polyps from the man's colon. Since he removed 2 polyps, he billed for 2 colonoscopies.
Now, surprisingly enough, the insurance paid for both; however, the insurance would've have the right to refuse to pay for a colonoscopy that in reality was not performed, yet the patient would still be on the hook to pay for the procedure.