I'm a little appalled at how medical bills are handled in the US.

I have no medical insurance. It's just too expensive. Today I owed $93 for a visit, but if I paid immediately (no wait, no delay), they could give me a “discount” for $50. But only if I paid right now.<br><br>I've had a specialist “forgive” a $300 bill before just because I showed my income tax statement. These people will readily put you in collections, at the drop of a hat, if they haven't given you a large discount, or forgiven the bill completely.<br><br>These types of situations lead me to believe that they are charging way too much and overinflating costs. It also leads me to believe that there are tons of opportunities to save money using some common sense.