This is a summary of a recent study by the National Institutes of Health showing an enormous variation in the quoted prices for hip replacements by various hospitals -- from $11,100 to more than $125,000! They also found most hospitals would not give a price quote for the procedure. The authors wrote "There is no justification for the inability to report a fee estimate, or a 12-fold price variation for a common elective procedure like a hip replacement."
Why do we have these huge price variations with hospital procedures?

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Orthopedics/Orthopedics/37313