My insurance was billed $50,000 for my extremely uncomplicated vaginal birth. They didn't pay that much because of negotiated discounts, but that was the bill, and is what I would have been charged without insurance. (I live in the US).
If you hadn't had insurance, that's what you would have been charged, but not what you'd have ended up paying. Their numbers are fake in the first place and you can usually negotiate things down a lot closer to the (still insane) insurance price.
Our deductible sucks so we do this all the time. If you have cash in the bank, ask what they'd be willing to do if you pay 100% today (money now is worth more than the same amount in the future, and a lot more than money discharged in bankruptcy).
Challenge every line item. Every $600 bandaid and sleeping pill. It really helps here if you have evidence of what someone else paid for the same or similar procedure.
If they won't budge, take a payment plan with the absolute lowest possible monthly payment you can get them to accept.
You need to seek out medical bill negotiation companies. They can do this for you, very successfully. Or just write a letter to the governor of your state, state attorney in cc and demand a "real" bill, not a fraudulent one.
