<prompt> Human: I went to the doctor for a wellness checkup, which would have been considered preventive care and fully covered by my insurance, but I made a mention of the discomfort and slight pain in my leg and it turned into this.33.5k in student loan debt, have been living with the parents for the last 19 months to try to pay it down quicker, make only 42k pre tax in an entry level position, invested 9k of my emergency fund on dental work a few months ago to reinvent my smile and boost my confidence for networking opportunities at work, just spent 400 at the beginning of this month on a deposit for an apartment 645month close to work, which is now going to be empty for a while due to this.This morning I received my EOB for an ultrasound scan that was ordered by the doctor I visited. She explained the severity of the issue and referred me to a nearby hospital to get the scan done same day, so I thought whatever, shes a doctor, she knows what shes talking about. The results from the 45 minute exam showed that the inner thigh of my right leg has a superficial blood clot. They put my on Eliquis, which is in itself expensive with my high deductible insurance 200 for 28 5mg pills for the first week. Fortunately, I was approved for 10 co-pays via the drug companys website a small LPT. I digress...I was concerned about the potential cost for all this so I did some research. I found that the scan from a hospitals imaging center could cost anywhere from 100 to 1,000, and according to the HealthCare Bluebook the fair price for this scan in my area is 265, while the high is 515. So I was anticipating paying anywhere from 300 to 400 for the scan I received. The local hospital I went to, however, is billing my insurance 5,075 for the procedure and I apparently owe 2,099. This was all in my network.Out of curiosity, I called a local Diagnostic Imaging Center to see how much they would charge for the same scan; 494 but they offer a 20 discount if paid in full, making it 370. And that is all without insurance! This is good for me to know as the doctor ordered another scan after three months on the prescribed blood thinners.I apologize for venting. I understand there are others in much worse situations, and I feel like a dick for bitching about this. Its just that the United States healthcare system is so screwed up. It shouldnt be this way. There should be competition in this industry. It should be a free market with competitive, transparent prices. It just seems to me that my insurance company is trying to get me to pay my deductible for the year at 2,250. I will call the hospitals billing department next week to get the bill itemized and try to negotiate a lower cost. Perhaps Ill try for 10per month at 0 interest, turn autopay on, and forget this ever happened...TLDR; hospital is charging me 2,100 for an ultrasound with insurance that would cost 370 at an imaging center without insurance.  <response>: Thrombosis and embolisms kill people. Im glad yours was caught early. Discuss with your doctor why this happened to you, whether theres a chance of it happening again, and how you can try to prevent that. And its logical that this isnt seen as just part of your regular wellness exam; even when accidentily you mentioned it while you had that wellness exam. 