What's so great about private health insurance? - Los Angeles Times »
Posted By deathray 4 months ago in Political OpinionThroughout the heroic struggle in Congress to provide a "public option" in health insurance, one question never seems to get answered: Why are we so intent on protecting the private option?
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deathray
Hm...summarizing a life...Investment banker, sailor, unintentional gourmet cook. Ex US Naval officer, also Foreign Service. Split my time between NYC and Miami Beach ...
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jordan114 months ago
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wtagg4 months ago
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The real irony is that insurance is based upon a socialistic business model. The well pay for the not-so-well. I would think that if they like that, they would like it run by the government.
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Maybe they only want socialism in the hands of the corporate world. -
theorangetrailblazerComment removed: Hard Banned
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AnteUp4 months ago
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Keep those office visits for the kids sniffles coming.
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Once you've met your increased modern deductible - the carrier
may even assent to paying a portion. Just don't get anything
serious or potentially costly. That's when they'll give you the old squinty eye......hmmm - look at these people trying to cheat
us! Oh - you're going to be less than satisfied with your coverage - but it will be too late to do anything about it.
How DO they get people to demonstrate against their own self interests?-
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Beau78904 months ago
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They get people to protest against their own interest by playing on fear and ignorance. Most people simply don't understand all the ways insurance companies improve their bottom lines, including rescinding policies of their customers, routinely denying valid claims because they know most people don't have the knowledge or the means to fight it, dropping coverage for those who've developed expensive medical conditions, and of course the enormous sums spent on lobbying, disseminating bad information, and buying legislators and state insurance regulators.
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It never fails to amaze me how many of the arguments against the public option or against regulation of private insurers are based on misinformation and plain distrust of the government. How many times have we all heard people out here say the government can't do anything right? Then there's the woman at South Carolina Rep. Robert Inglis's town-hall meeting who told him, "Keep your government hands off my Medicare."
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joeblowe4 months ago
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Again I ask: WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? Can't you READ the Constitution? Our defining document does not ALLOW the government to do this. Maybe GWB and The Barry are right. For all the respect it gets from Congress, the President, the Supreme Court, and The People - maybe we should just go ahead and burn the damn thing. Everyone seems to think it doesn't matter WHAT it says when it gets in the way of something they want to do.
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fsev414 months ago
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It seems that perhaps the framers of our constitution may have been smarter than you. They realized that the Constitution was not a perfect document and wrote a whole article on amending it and also gave our Congress the mandate to write laws as may be needed. They seemed to realize that time might change things and we might need to do things that weren't necessary at the time. They then turned right around and wrote The Bill of Rights as an appendage to the Constitution. We have seen fit to modify that constitution from time to time in an effort to make it a better document. I don't believe it was ever intended to be carved in stone. It was meant to evolve. They wrote it that way intentionally.
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Spadecaller4 months ago
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IF we eliminate those that are objecting to the "public option" simply because it may affect their livelihoods due to their various financial connections to insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, or any enterprise involved in the medical industrial complex, the problem ceases to be insurmountable. Therein lies the struggle that will eventually produce casualties from the changes that are desperately needed by the vast majority of Americans. It would be nice to hear from those who post on Propeller who work for insurance companies and would be affected by good health care reform. I would like to see that kind of honesty. But, after reading comments and angry accusations and attacks against Obama, it is easy to see that the smoke screen is well constructed. Many of the most ardent obstructionists who insist that no change is for the best, are people who make their living from the current dysfunctional system. It's amazing. Since this discussion has been going on, how often does anyone ever admit that they make their living from those who pay high premiums for lousy health protection?
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That is the major problem. There are too many people financially tied to the current network for change to come without serious damages.
I would like to see Congress pressed upon by the vast majority of Americans to relinquish the insurance benefits that we provide them. The American people must put the screws to their representatives by demanding through the polls that they agree to accept the same health care coverage that all Americans can be entitled to. Then we will have the necessary leverage to face the powerful medical industrial complex.
The games are easy to see. As soon as the politicians attempt to divide the types of coverage available for Americans according to age and or economic status, the games begin. Our nation will not resolve this problem until it surrenders to the fact that health care is a right - not a privilege. -
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mmrhe4 months ago
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The GOP has been 'making hay' by bashing Washington for decades.
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Obviously, it has proven a successful strategy for them and their backers.
How do do the Dems counter?
They are doing a poor job of selling this thing!
Use the success of programs like Cash for Clunkers to foster positive popular support.
They can't just sit back and let the WASHINGTON LOBBYIST BASED THUGS take over Town Hall meetings.
This is a war for the hearts and minds of the American people! -
theorangetrailblazerComment removed: Hard Banned2 Replies
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Newperson4 months ago
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You know I have what is called by some a good healthcare plan bluecross and blueshield.
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Of corse i would not know because I can't afford to use it because my deductible is so high.
And everytime we go to the drs. they want to do some kind of off the wall test that the ins. does not cover. So most of the time my 25 dollar copay ends up being 300.00. And then they tell me the test came back just fine if they call me at all.-
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bigG4 months ago
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My test came back "inconclusive" so guess what? The Doctor said I needed another test.
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The Doctor, as it turns out, was part owner in both machines used for the tests. The privilege cost me $1400 and my insurance, which is considered good, paid $2000. Then they came back and reneged on $ 500 of it they had already agreed to. Guess who they wanted to pay it?
After all of that, the tests that were designed to see whether a certain procedure was necessary were useless. The Doctor said it would be best to be certain by performing it anyway.
The systen is completely broken and the status quo ain't gonna cut it. -
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AnteUp4 months ago
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Yes, Newperson, it is costly AND frustrating.
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I know two couples who had their post-retirement benefits changed.
Their new-and-improved deductible? $2,500 each - as in per person.
That is not the kind of health care they were used to. What they have now
is catastrophic health care only. Doctor's visits, lab tests and such turn out
to be all theirs to pay. Granted a trip to the hospital can eat up that deductible pretty
quick - but I still think a $2500 out of pocket expense before the insurer
picks up a dime is very high........particularly for retirees.
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albionperfides4 months ago
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Spadecaller
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I live in the UK and am very happy with the NHS [National Health Service]. Imagine, no prescription charges if you are over 60. For an important operation my wife was able to nominate the hospital and the surgeon and had a private room for 7 days at no cost. If this is what some US loons call "Socialisn" well they are just deluded people who have swallowed Big Pharma and Big Medic popaganda completely. Dr Josef Goebbels would have been proud of his acolytes! If you have to lie make it a big one and people will believe you was his philosophy.-
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GWHayduke4 months ago
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Its ironic that in this country, people are willing to live with failure provided by private corporations, but oppose successful governmental programs on strictly ideological merit.
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Yet those same people support massive governmental spending in the name of blowing up other countries.
We are indeed a nation composed of folks suffering from mass paradoxical contradicitons!
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cleare4 months ago
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"The firms take billions of dollars out of the U.S. healthcare wallet as profits, while imposing enormous administrative costs on doctors, hospitals, employers and patients. They've introduced complexity into the system at every level. Your doctor has to fight them to get approval for the treatment he or she thinks is best for you. Your hospital has to fight them for approval for every day you're laid up. Then they have to fight them to get their bills paid, and you do too."
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the current system is obscenely immoral; making profit off illness, disease and death...
i'm disgusted with all the excuses and justifications for maintaining the status quo.
...and to all of you who make your living in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, there will still be good paying jobs for you, the only difference will be that your shareholders will be your fellow americans instead of profiteers.-
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lfergie8124 months ago
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The AMA is for health care reform.
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http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/07/16/...
As far as the insurance company employees go, the government uses insurance companies to process Medicare claims. That means the people would still be employed but under different rules.
It seem that the real problem is the insurance companies don't want to lose the billions of dollars profit and are willing to pay congress members to vote against. They're also willing to pay protesters to campaign against it by going to town meetings to voice their "dissatisfaction" with government back health care. That's why they say money talks.
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coolrayfruge4 months ago
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Insurance companys another legalized scam.
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I read a artical on insurance company's buying the Highway Patrol radar guns.
The reason is so the Highway patrol can give out more speeding tickets.
So the insurance company can rise the rates on their insurers. -
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lfergie8124 months ago
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No one has to tell me how inconsiderate the health insurance companies can be. As my profile points out, we are snow birds. In 2006, we made our yearly trip to Fl. but a couple months afterwards the wife started retaining water that couldn't be released with all the medication she was taking. To make a long story short, she ended up in the emergency room drowning in her own fluid and not breathing. After the fluid was removed and she was released, that's when the crap hit the fan. The insurance declared we were out of area and wasn't going to pay the bills. (If not for Medicare it would really been bad.) Not until I wrote the Ohio insurance commission and explain that she had stopped breathing did the bills start being paid.
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Now the Republicans want to continue this type of service with companies that care nothing about a person's health and cancel anyone that has a terminal illness if they can find any kind of loophole.-
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Goppy4 months ago
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You've hit on the essential point ... Health Insurance companies are FANTASTICALLY Profitable.
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I mean... with their business model ... huge profits are GUARANTEED.
They only insure those who are healthy.
When the DO have a claim ... they drag their heels ... refuse payment ... and wind up paying a fraction of the ultimate cost.
If they get a case that is a harbinger of loss ... like a protracted cancer diagnosis ... they simply refuse to pay ... coming up with some excuse such as the original application has some problem.
How can you NOT be profitable ... they are insuring people using actuarial risk tables that include claims ... but then ... they don't honor the CLAIMS!
That's why Insurance Company Stock is so highly valued.
United Health Group is one of the 50 most profitable companies in America. ... (as an example)
But this business model is patently perverse ... and a Fair Minded ... Justice Inclined Society would not tolerate it for ONE DAY .. .. .. let alone the DECADES that this has been going on.
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Spadecaller4 months ago
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One has to have some enlightenment to understand that it is not an entitlement to have the same opportunity to survive illness or injury as any other person; health care is a right and should not be diminished or made less accessible for anyone in their time of need. dIt is a disgrace when uninsured people or poorly insured people suffer and die because of their lack of coverage in this rich nation. We need to wake up and be a nation that should make us feel proud that we are a civilized and caring.
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Natureboy4 months ago
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The purpose of the so-called "reform" is to protect the private insurers against a fast growing groundswell of support for single payor.
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State-based single-payor has already been passed in the California legislature and vetoed by the governor twice. State based single payor has enormous support in New Mexico and has been kept from a floor vote by the politicos killing it in committee.
Consequently, a federal pre-emptive strike against single payor health insurance was required. And it's being sold to the gullible on the left as some sort of panacea. The depth of the duplicity from our leaders, and the extent of the gullibility of the democrat rah-rahs is absolutely astonishing.-
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AnteUp4 months ago
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I was VERY enthusiastic about single-payer, as you know, Natureboy.
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I am only settling in my acceptance of this public option. I'm not happy about it.
I suspect that the public option could turn out to be so complicated that it will
be dificult to use and twice as hard to understand. It could become very unpopular
if it confuses people - right? Now who would benefit from the bad press our
new public option plan would get if that were the case?
Crafty S.*.B.'s - aren't they?
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jovial4 months ago
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Private insurance has no advantages, but has disadvantages over a public system. It's really quite obvious. Costs can be controlled in a public system, they can't in a private one. Universal coverage can be offered by a public system, can't do that in a private one. You can go to any doctor in any state and get treated especially if you're out of town. Most HMO's require approval and they can deny you and make you have to pay for it by yourself. If you have the better plans that haave interstate portability, then the deductibles are usually higher. It's a no-brainer. The reason that Republicans are so vehemently against this plan is that they don't want Obama to have any successes. They want the economy to fail, they want all of Obama's plans to fail. That way they can point to all of Obama's failures in 2010, and get themselves re-elected to Congress. They don't care if hurts the country in the meantime because they didn't care about their fellow Americans in the first place. As far as they're concerned it's all about them keeping power and money. Obama's stimulus package has patched a ruptured economy. Republicans right now don't want to give Obama one iota of credit. They are trying to say that taxcuts are the only contributing factor to this ailing economy. I hope this blows up in their faces. If the economy continues to improve they'll try to take credit in some way. Like saying their stalling and saying, "NO!" was the reason the economy improved. So they will continue to whinny and whine about healthcare, because a popular program passed by this President will add nails to their coffin. People will look back and say,"Why weren't the Republicans onboard with healthcare?" And they'll say, "It was our idea in the first place!"
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oneironaut4204 months ago
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Unfortunately, I have to admit I'm rather torn about this subject.
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You see, my soon-to-be-ex-husband, whom is also my best friend, is a health insurance agent. He will be out of a job, simply put. Oh, I know...I'm going to get yelled at for not seeing "the bigger picture", and only caring about the here and now...but considering that I'm still job hunting and he pays our bills, I believe that is understandable. 8|
So just out of curiosity, what will happen to private health insurance agents like him? A government job? A new career at this point in his life?
I'm all for keeping the population healthy, so it is productive, but if he loses his job, we will be in pretty dire straights. Is this just a necessary sacrifice for the greater good?-
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german-shepard4 months ago
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There will always be insurance agents and people helping other people with their insurance options. If your best friend is good at what he does, he will make the adjustments and survive.
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Good luck to you in your life and in your future.
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moonstream1Comment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned
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moonstream1Comment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned
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Poulenc4 months ago
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Was confronted today by an anti-nationalized healthcare-ist, whose argument was that putting medical insurance into the hands of the government would result in dangerously sub-par care delivered by people who care "as much as the IRS with the efficiency of the post-office.'
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(Actually, I find the post-office remarkably efficient.)
What wasn't mentioned was that, for the majority of people, heath insurance of any kind is unaffordable. I'm ensured via the small company that employs me, and I still have to kick in five-thousand per annum for a policy with typical limitations.
The idea, after all, is to bring more people under the umbrella of care.
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HMMaceComment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned
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mrlecher3 months, 4 weeks ago
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To put it in simple terms (For the simple-minded Repuglicans)
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Private Healthcare Insurance profits when they DENY claims.
Drug Companies profit when Patient's symptoms are alleviated but NOT cured.
Public Healthcare Insurance profits when the Patient is treated AND cured. -
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mackwilson3 months ago
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Hi friend,
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