It's not just about demand, it's about shopping around for lower prices due to being price conscious.--You don't see people shopping around for the best bargain on their appendectomy.---That's because it's an emergency. The vast majority of medical procedures are NOT emergencies. People have time to compare and contrast prices, unless they have insurance or government subsidies, in which case they have no incentive to look for the best price. If you have any personal experience with medical providers, you'll know that they'll hike up the bill if they know the patient has insurance. This is why medical costs keep rising every year, because the government keeps mandating more people be insured, either by private insurance or government programs.More insurance = less market competition/price consciousness and higher prices. The answer is to get government regulations/subsidies out of the industry, and let it operate like all other industries, where companies compete to get clients by lowering prices.