text: Being a "patient" is not the same as being a "consumer" in many instances.  You do not have the luxury of telling the ambulance driver that you want to go to C.U. Med Center if you are unconscious.  If you are in an emergency room complaining of chest pains you cannot say "I'd rather have the Walmart Menu of medical procedures over the King Soopers or the Whole Food menu.  Don't worry about doing an EKG, or running blood tests looking at troponin levels."  In reality, the largest amount of expense in the "multi-billion dollar" industry comes from the hospitals, testing for specific causes, and responding accordingly.  (Just for the sake of discussion, this forum no longer allows for lengthy discussion of issues.  The word counter cuts you off much too early).  Knowing that you will need a tooth extraction will enable you to go to the CPT table, find the code, and find out the reasonable cost.  Then ask your dentist.  If he is too expensive, go somewhere else.  What about the pain?