(Marek Studzinski/Unsplash) A patient walks into a hospital for what she believes will be a routine procedure. Weeks later, a bill arrives—thousands of dollars more than she anticipated. She is not alone. Despite a wave of federal transparency mandates, most Americans still cannot find out what medical care will cost them before they receive it. This isn't a niche frustration. It is a structural feature of the American healthcare system — one that has resisted years of reform