This is not true.
Unfortunately, both my husband and I have had surgery for cancer. I was with my husband as he met with his doctors to discuss treatment options, which included doing nothing/watchful waiting . Because of my background and because of the type of person I am, I had already done a lot of research and knew what treatment options would be likely offered, relative success rates, risks of complications and of recurrences before the appointment and talked with my husband about each before the dr. Appointment where we would hear him
present treatment options. The doctor was extremely open, extremely thorough and extremely open to considering various treatment plans. He even suggested getting another opinion or two, with surgeons specialized in various treatment options. My husband chose the option he felt most comfortable with and had an excellent outcome.
I argued a bit with my doctor and then surgeon but ultimately, got what I wanted, given the circumstances.
No, there was no discussion of price. We are fortunate to be in the position of having excellent medical coverage--coverage everyone should have.
I think the main point most people on here are tied up with is that in too many places, including the supposedly most free and beneficial country on earth, supposedly, is that in the case of adequate let alone the best possible care/outcome when ill or injured is fat too often too high a cost for people to afford, so then they have to choose between something like a decent shelter, or medical care, or food or medical care, or no medical because even without a place to live or food for a month it would still be too costly to afford.
I have been with or working at an office where a doctor or two and a couple nurses were thorough and knowledgeable, had no problem making certain that patients understood fully what a treatment plan entailed, plus what the illness or injury with and without treatment would result in. But they are still too few in this country, and far between, some far too expensive if it is out of network but the right field and competency. And then there are the scores of physicians and nurses I've met who took away patient's choices by not informing them of all options, or tried forcing them to take a treatment they had already refused, or those that simply respond with, "if you want information on the treatment or illness, google it", kinda bullshit.
I personally may be far too ill, and far too insolvent transport and finances wise to get the right treatment for any one of my illnesses, and it has drastically shortened my lifespan as a result, plus making what life I have left worth less in value by most in my home and my nation. I'm told it is how it should be, and that this is the price of "freedom" and "choice", and that if I want better or just adequate, competent treatment from anyone "I should leave country", or just "shut the fuck up".
But hey, we've got 50 different kinds of fruit and veg from all over the globe compared to some other countries, and about a hundred choices in terms of where to shop for clothes and shoes, get to listen to people snipe at those trying to improve perceptions, representations and education because they just can, and the growing crowd of irrational "helpful" activists who don't seem to help many others besides themselves, so I guess what I advocate for really does hold less merit.
Sometimes being a watcher of the world lets ya see jut how few of those options are "free for all to try for" and just how few "grand opportunities" there really are, ESPECIALLY in medical care, which should never have been a for profit business model, only available sometimes to those who are "allowed" by way of some physicians'/pharmacists personal belief system, and/or somebody has the money for the gross out of pocket cost for monthly premiums, per procedure/treatment co-payment, AND prescription costs all wrapped up.
Even a complete over-haul, tear down and rebuild, it would be done wrong here, because there's far too much of an allowance for politicians and insurance providers who get near daily approval to work solely off of their own self-interest, an/or private beliefs without much evidence to back them.