Cost transparency and comparison shopping have gotten a bit better in recent years. Health plans are now required to give members access to cost estimation tools. If you need an expensive procedure like an MRI then it's worth shopping around.
There are still some technical obstacles to giving patients with insurance accurate estimates for out-of-pocket costs. The current HIPAA adopted standards for most electronic claims don't allow for prospective claims to see exactly how much a health plan would pay for a treatment. CMS is working on a proposal to adopt a newer version of those standards which will support prospective claims.
https://www.cms.gov/priorities/healthplan-price-transparency...
For patients without health insurance they have the legal right to insist on a good faith estimate.
https://www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights/help/guides/good-fai...
There are still some technical obstacles to giving patients with insurance accurate estimates for out-of-pocket costs. The current HIPAA adopted standards for most electronic claims don't allow for prospective claims to see exactly how much a health plan would pay for a treatment. CMS is working on a proposal to adopt a newer version of those standards which will support prospective claims.
https://www.cms.gov/priorities/key-initiatives/burden-reduct...