You’re seated at the restaurant, given a menu, and notice something missing: no prices. What’s going on?

It’s sure to be an expensive place, but even most nicer establishments list their prices. A menu without prices suggests “money is no object.” It heightens a sense of conspicuous consumption for customers kept in the dark—at least until they pay the bill.

So, why does American medicine work this way?

Whether buying a coffee or a car, we expect to know the price first. If the coffee shop’s menu says $4, but a barista tries to charge $7, we call it a scam. Yet hiding prices or even changing them after providing service has become part of the business model for many medical providers and insurers.

One obvious reason is that health care executives want to maximize revenue. Prices invite questions about relative value. They make it possible to shop around. Even more obviously, as in the coffee shop example, they serve as an agreement that protects customers.

Yet in medicine, some providers actually hire consultants to find more “codes” to bill additional and........

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