When I worked in a contracting department, we’d try to ballpark the rates that other insurers were getting by using EOBs that we had access to.

This strategy might work for you - if you know others who have used services at this hospital and who will let you see their EOBs, you can compare the billed charges to the insurance allowed amount to get an idea of what kind of discount the hospital is giving to insurers. It won’t be scientific or exact, but at least it will get you in the ballpark.

Each insurance company pre-negotiates with “in network” hospitals, what the fee is for each service. So it’s going to vary by insurer.

The easiest way to find out what “usual & customary” is in your area, is to go to your state medicare website - and there should be someplace there that lists it. That, also, varies by state.

Google “Medicare Fee For Service” - that is the pricing scale that pretty much every insurance company bases their payments on. It changes every year - slightly.

BUT - unless it’s a teaching hospital, you should call the hospital and ask for the social workers - they can often put you in touch with various charites or get you some kind of emergency help in this situation. (They don’t advertise that they do this - and some teaching hospitals don’t do it at all.)

If push comes to shove, we have a hardship program. A board reviews your case, sets a price, and that must be paid in full.