If you’re going to quote the article, I think it’s important to include context. So let’s broaden your article quote (that is, the article is quoting someone else) just a smidge:

“Medicare payment rates, which reimburse below the cost of care, should not be held as a standard benchmark for hospital prices,” said Melinda Hatton, general counsel for the American Hospital Association, AN INDUSTRY TRADE GROUP, in an emailed statement. [emphasis mine]

You claim that the quoted statement is more accurate / truthful than the statement that private insurers pay more than the Medicare rate, and seem to imply that the Times’ reporting is biased. Did I get that right?

Would you like to furnish some support for those claims?

Check any of the studies from the AHA, AMA, Beckers, or any of the financial institutions/investment firms reporting on the healthcare sector. It's ugly out there. Beckers tracked 20+ health care orgs that went bankrupt in 2018, Morgan Stanley reported 450 being at risk for 2019. Some links: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/21-hospital-cl... https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/450-hospitals-... https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-21/hospitals... https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/12-latest-hosp...