One thing to keep in mind when paying individually is that many insurance providers won't count the payments toward your deductible or maximum out of pocket expenses, since it wasn't processed through your insurance.
If you're nowhere near hitting your deductible for the year, and don't anticipate hitting it, then looking for cash-only discounts make sense. But if you anticipate hitting your deductible anyway, sometimes it makes sense to pay the inflated price on that individual item, since you'll make up for it later when you hit your deductible and switch to only paying your coinsurance amount (or hitting your max OOP).
If you're nowhere near hitting your deductible for the year, and don't anticipate hitting it, then looking for cash-only discounts make sense. But if you anticipate hitting your deductible anyway, sometimes it makes sense to pay the inflated price on that individual item, since you'll make up for it later when you hit your deductible and switch to only paying your coinsurance amount (or hitting your max OOP).