I agree with those who posted that the quotation marks were for emphasis, I also wonder if in some cases it is not free; sometimes things like vaccinations are free to certain groups and there are strings attached to the general offer.

BTW, I would suggest that you don't use the expression 'begs the question' on a grammar forum, see http://www.fallacyfiles.org/begquest.html

Simple phrases like 'It makes me wonder...' or 'It raises the question...' can assist in avoiding this contentious phrase.