Egregoros

I remember the first time I was confronted with this dual reality… I had to have an MRI about 15 years ago, and when I went to check in the receptionist said “here is the price if you pay for it yourself, and here is the price if you use insurance.”
I was taken aback… I said “are you telling me that you‘ll charge me that much less just to avoid dealing with the insurance company?” and her reply was a simple yes.