Real answers · Your bills and your plan
Why does the same procedure cost different amounts?
The real answer
Each plan has its own contract rate with each doctor and hospital, so the same service can carry a different price under each plan. Federal rules make most plans publish those rates in public files, updated every month (42 U.S.C. §§ 300gg-15a and 18031(e)(3); 45 CFR 147.212).
What is a contract rate? — answered from the law, on provern.org
The house’s version
Why does the same bread cost different amounts?
Every item is priced just for your plan, your store and your branch, after a year of careful negotiation.
A parody, from FAQ.