"It puts the provider in a situation of looking for ways to have someone else pick up a piece of the cost. As a result, every customer who has insurance ends up paying a 'hidden premium.' It simply adds to the health care cost burden"
About this Quote
The intent is not to demonize insurance itself but to indict a fragmented system that invites providers to treat pricing like a scavenger hunt. "Looking for ways to have someone else pick up a piece of the cost" frames the provider as rational, even cornered, while still implying a moral hazard: when payment is someone else's problem, transparency becomes optional and restraint becomes bad business. The subtext is populist but procedural - a veteran appropriator warning that hidden cross-subsidies are what happens when public programs underpay, when employers negotiate in the dark, and when patients can't see prices until after the fact.
In context, Obey's language fits the late-20th/early-21st century health-policy fight where lawmakers tried to translate wonky reimbursement mechanics into a case for reform. It's a critique of the system's habit of burying redistribution inside invoices, then acting surprised when health care keeps getting more expensive.
Quote Details
| Topic | Health |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Obey, David. (2026, January 16). It puts the provider in a situation of looking for ways to have someone else pick up a piece of the cost. As a result, every customer who has insurance ends up paying a 'hidden premium.' It simply adds to the health care cost burden. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-puts-the-provider-in-a-situation-of-looking-132249/
Chicago Style
Obey, David. "It puts the provider in a situation of looking for ways to have someone else pick up a piece of the cost. As a result, every customer who has insurance ends up paying a 'hidden premium.' It simply adds to the health care cost burden." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-puts-the-provider-in-a-situation-of-looking-132249/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It puts the provider in a situation of looking for ways to have someone else pick up a piece of the cost. As a result, every customer who has insurance ends up paying a 'hidden premium.' It simply adds to the health care cost burden." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-puts-the-provider-in-a-situation-of-looking-132249/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
