Health Insurance Industry Scared to Death

[BonnieJW]

Insurers Offer to Stop Charging Sick People More

http://www.truthout.org/032509O

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, The Associated Press: "The health insurance industry offered Tuesday for the first time to curb its controversial practice of charging higher premiums to people with a history of medical problems. The offer from America's Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a potentially significant shift in the debate over reforming the nation's health care system to rein in costs and cover an estimated 48 million uninsured people. It was contained in a letter to key senators. In the letter, the two insurance industry groups said their members are willing to 'phase out the practice of varying premiums based on health status in the individual market' if all Americans are required to get coverage. Although the letter left open some loopholes, it was still seen as a major development."

[bluestateguy]

1. Obama is allowing the insurance companies the privilege of continuing to exist

It's not a privilege that I would grant, but he is, and the insurance industry had better damn well be grateful for it.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

17. hopefully they will be extinct one day

and replaced with a national healthcare system

[Hannah Bell]

2. "if all Americans are required to get coverage"

i don't get the implications of this bit....?

[Fireweed247]

5. It has to be unconstitutional to force us to buy insurance

That is not a health 'care' plan! :grr: :grr: :grr:

I have to get away from this place, reality is really pissing me off today.

[Winterblues]

10. But it is Obama's Heath Care Plan.

A major part of his plan is that everyone must have health insurance and that if one can not afford it then the Government will step in and help, but to get the insurance companies to lower their costs and put out a group rate that has no special pricing for anyone it requires that every single American participate. It still is going to fall largely on employers though and that will not help business in a Global Market. We must get to the point of Single Payer National Health Care if our business' will be able to compete. Every other business in the world is free from this enormous expense, so can be far more competitive.

[redqueen]

13. I thought Obama was for having a choice...

and Hillary's was the 'must have' plan.

I guess I got that wrong.


Either way... yes, we all need to push hard for HR 676.

[Still Sensible]

12. Certainly not correct. States around the country have required

motorists to be insured for as long as I can remember.

[redqueen]

14. The difference is you can choose not to drive a car. (nt)

[Fireweed247]

16. that is unconstitutional as well-the founders did not want us to be forced to support a corporation

but the prices of auto insurance should drop drastically if we had universal health coverage because so much of the premium is based on medical costs in the event of an accident.

[Still Sensible]

22. I believe, as Dr Dean does, that the Obama plan as

described during the campaign--which included a "public" coverage similar to the Medicare program--is the way to go. That would give everyone an option that is not a for profit "corporation."

[L0oniX]

15. We are already being forced to buy health insurance ...it just isn't for us until we retire at 65.

[old guy]

9. Same here.

They will "phase out" the varying premiums if everyone is forced to take their insurance. Notice they don't say it will result in lower premiums, just that all will pay the same rate. I am not taking this BS as any kind of a step forward.

[snappyturtle]

3. That's exactly what I thought when I heard of their "kind proposal"!

They ought to be afraid.....of course they're bribing us with the 'if all Americans are required to get coverage' stipulation.

[Cleita]

4. Obama has to offer a comprehensive government plan to, first insure the

uninsured and poor, but secondly for the public to buy into if they don't want a private plan. Otherwise, this offer is smoke and mirrors. Insurance companies are not going to change their stripes but try to disguise them until they can secure their present strangle hold on health care permanently. The public and health care providers will be left out in the cold as usual while they deliver profits to Wall Street.

[redqueen]

6. Does this mean the movement behind single-payer gaining momentum?

I hope so.

[Fireweed247]

7. scared? They are laughing at us...

Sure, if we are forced to buy insurance, they will let us give them our money. How nice :grr: :grr: :grr:

[TZ]

8. Thats no concession.

Many insurance companies aren't CHARGING more for pre-existing conditions they are FLAT OUT REFUSING to cover them! So this argument is total bullshit. Yeah the would love to have MANDATORY insurance for everyone. But even if you are quote unquote "covered" that doesn't mean you are going to have your claims paid for.
Signed, one chronically ill person who even though has coverage has had to fight tooth and claw to get actually payment of claims.

[Fireweed247]

18. yes, they will cover us but probably continue to increase copays

not pay for anesthesia etc.

We have to get rid of the insurance companies completely and Obama is a smart guy, he knows this. It is just that the insurance companies are speaking louder. We need to start protesting LOUDLY!

[area51]

11. Isn't this what the insurance cos.

claimed in regards to MA's health-insurance-at-gunpoint law (GingrichCare), and it's bogus? They simply raised their rates even higher, even after they claimed they wouldn't.

[Bonhomme Richard]

19. Fuck them. Their whole business model is based on......

screwing those that can least afford to be screwed, the sick. There would be no business plan without the ability to fuck people.

[Fireweed247]

20. Half of Bankruptcy Due to Medical Bills -- U.S. Study

"Half of all U.S. bankruptcies are caused by soaring medical bills and most people sent into debt by illness are middle-class workers with health insurance, researchers said on Wednesday....

"Most of the medically bankrupt were average Americans who happened to get sick. Health insurance offered little protection."...

"Among those whose illnesses led to bankruptcy, out-of-pocket costs averaged $11,854 since the start of illness; 75.7 percent had insurance at the onset of illness."...

He said fewer than 1 percent of all bankruptcy filings were due to credit card debt. "That truly is a myth," Cauthen said in a telephone interview."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0202-08.htm

And this is from 2005...

[subterranean]

21. The fact remains: They are in business to maximize their profits.

This "concession" notwithstanding, the insurance companies will continue to find ways to suck money out of the health care system for their own profits. I'm not saying they are evil for trying to make a profit, because they are legally OBLIGATED to do so, and that will not change. My question is: What value do they offer (compared to a non-profit, single-payer system) that justifies their profits?