They're not talking about the copay or deductible. They're talking about "Hospital believes that the services provided should cost $X, insurance company believes that a reasonable price is $Y, you now owe the hospital $X - $Y".
That's the problem! Hospital overcharges because government pays less than the cost of delivering care, so costs have to be recouped from other sources: privately insured, and uninsured.
The one caught in the middle is the individual who gets screwed by both the hospital and insurer/government.
