timeframe isn ' t the right metric . i would say the provider of service needs to justify any increase , and , more importantly , it ' s still the same price for any patient until further justifications are made . nobody needs to keep records of every medical transaction . a hospital , for example , can be audited . they already have a billing department . i don ' t mean to propose that any 2 hospitals must charge the same price , but only that any given hospital can ' t charge 2 prices depending on who is paying . the reasoning is that high prices are what is crippling medical care . prices are high because those are just the starting point for your insurance to start negotiations . i shouldn ' t have to pay more as a private citizen just because i don ' t have the bargaining power of a large insurance company .