Retroactively process claim without insurance? Unable to pay deductible

I had a 2 x-rays done on my wrist at an imaging center attached to a hospital. Before the imaging, I asked for an estimate of the cost. They said these CPT codes typically bill for less than $200 total (of course this was non-binding). Fast forward a month, I receive a bill from the imaging center for ~$2K.

The imaging center is in-network (Aetna PPO) and billed my insurance the $2K, who contractually lowered it to ~$1K. Since I haven't met my (rather high) deductible, that amount got passed along to me.

I called the imaging center and confirmed that the cash pay amount for this procedure is $144 (total)! I then asked if they could re-process my bill without using my insurance. They gave me the run-around then told me their billing manager would contact me (they never did).

In the meantime, I called my state's (TX) department of insurance. The person I talked to said the imaging center won't be able to retroactively process my claim without insurance, as they have a contract with my insurance company which they must adhere to as soon as they know I have insurance.

I'm appalled that the imaging center can bill my insurance more than 10x the amount I'd pay without insurance (and 10x the estimate they provided me). Not only that—even if I had already met my deductible, I would still pay more with insurance than without. I'm a full-time college student and I don't have a job. I can afford the cash pay amount, but I don't have $1K laying around. Although my parents claimed me as a dependent last year, they don't have the means to help me with this, either. I'm not sure if that precludes me from obtaining financial assistance.

Could anyone provide advice for me? Is it true that I'm stuck with paying the insurance amount rather than cash-pay? If not, are there tips for negotiating with the billing departments at monolithic hospitals? I'm very new to this and the process is extremely daunting.

submitted by /u/leuthold-lover
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