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October 6, 2026
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David W. Johnson
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Consumerism Outcomes
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The No Surprises Act Is Driving Inflation

The No Surprises Act was supposed to protect patients from outrageous out-of-network medical bills, but it is also creating a costly new problem hiding in plain sight.

In the latest for hfm Magazine, 4sight Health’s David W. Johnson examines a new healthcare arbitration industry, one where providers win the overwhelming majority of disputes and arbitration filings have exploded. Patients may no longer get the surprise bill in the mail, but they’re still paying for it through higher insurance premiums, suppressed wages and rising healthcare costs.

Bottom line: Congress eliminated surprise billing, but it didn’t eliminate the costs.

Read more in this piece for hfm Magazine by 4sight Health’s David W. Johnson.

Editor’s note: This article was published in hfm Magazine by the Healthcare Financial Management Association, copyright 2026. It is republished here with permission. Read more.

About the Author

David W. Johnson

David Johnson is the CEO of 4sight Health, an advisory company working at the intersection of healthcare strategy, economics, innovation. Johnson is a healthcare thought leader, keynote speaker, and strategic advisor to organizations busting the status-quo to reform our healthcare system. He is the author of Market vs. Medicine: America’s Epic Fight for Better, Affordable Healthcare, and his second book, The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All (McGraw-Hill 2019). As a speaker, Dave plays the role of rebel, challenger, industry historian, investor and company evaluator to push audiences forward. (Watch bio video.) Johnson applies his 25+ years of investment banking in healthcare to identify ways the healthcare industry must change to deliver better care. He received a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, an English degree from Colgate University, and served in the African Peace Corp service. Join over 10k+ healthcare executives who read our weekly insights and commentary on www.4sighthealth.com.

Dave wakes up every morning trying to fix America’s broken healthcare system. Prior to founding 4sight Health in 2014, Dave had a long and successful career in healthcare investment banking. He is a graduate of Colgate University and earned a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. Employing his knowledge and experience in health policy, economics, statistics, behavioral finance, disruptive innovation, organizational change and complexity theory, Dave writes and speaks on pro-market healthcare reform. His first book Market vs. Medicine: America’s Epic Fight for Better, Affordable Healthcare, and his second book, The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All (McGraw-Hill 2019), are available for purchase on www.4sighthealth.com. Get his new book with Paul Kusserow, “The Coming Healthcare Revolution: 10 Forces that Will Cure America’s Healthcare Crisis” now.

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