Corporations can be usefull in regards to implementing single payer

[fenriswolf]

I am an ATT employee out here in california. Now I don't do warrentless wiretap install or anything I just help with technical support. In california their is an initiative for single payer health care called california one care. http://www.onecarenow.org . Well I happen to sit across the aisle from a middle manager. Someone who can suggest something and maybe get a ball rolling type of guy. I took up a minute of his time. Let him know that this thing existed and that ATT could get some good rep out of getting on board and throwing some weight behind this. Also that it is good for the company as a whole. He was definitely intrigued and as I left his office he was scanning the website soaking it in. As bad as corporations are they can definitely be used for good when their bottom line is concerned.

[gateley]

1. From what I understand (or THINK I understand) I think corporations would

pay far less for a single payer plan. It's the insurance industry that is threatened by it.

[fenriswolf]

2. exactly

health and pharm are the only ones, imagine if we got the corps fighting each other?

[LiberalFighter]

4. Hell yes they would.

Besides removing the insurance industry from health care as a cost savings there would be the benefit of not paying for an employee's health insurance covering a spouse employed by a different employer.

Spouse A - Employed at Employer A has insurance
Spouse B - Employed at Employer B has insurance through Spouse A's employer

No expense for Employer B


The for-profit part of health insurance needs to be eliminated.

[TahitiNut]

6. Actually, public companies are "threatened" as well.

Insurance companies keep financial reserves in order to pay prospective claims. The levels of those reserves are regulated ... and the industry isn't eager to keep the limits low. The reserves are largely invested in corporate stock as well as bonds ... both government and private. Thus, the fund managers of those reserve funds wield some significant influence on the market for any stock and stocks in general.

Now, consider also that deregulation of the financial industry allows financial organizations (and service) of virtually all kinds to have common ownership, even under the same "corporate umbrella." Corporations with common stock use the services of an investment banking house to manage their outstanding stock, even to "make the market" in that stock. Further, corporations use commercial banking services as well. These companies are interlinked. Thus, pubicly traded corporations don't want to piss off the insurance companies ... for this and other reasons.

[Kat45]

8. Interesting.

That helps me understand why employers don't want single payer. I feel it would keep them competitive in the global economy--you know, what they mention as a reason for layoffs and such.

[Lasher]

3. Corporations don't want single payer.

They want to get out of providing health care by switching to high deductible catastrophic-only policies, coupled with Health Savings Accounts. In these arrangements the employer acts as a middle man but does not contribute anything to help defer the cost. The employee pays all costs.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=210673

[LiberalFighter]

5. We need to make it NOT the corporation's choice

[Lasher]

7. I couldn't agree more.

We need to make a lot of things not the corporations' choice.