Health Insurers' Tie Proposed Rate Hikes to Health Care Reform (Here's the Hopey-Changey thing)

cbs ^ | 9/8/2010 | Stephanie Condon

[tobyhill]

Health insurers across the country are planning to raise premiums for some of their customers in the coming weeks, the Wall Street Journal reports, and they are in part blaming President Obama's health care reform package for the rate hikes.

On the surface, at least, the news boosts Republicans' arguments against the Democrats' reforms ahead of this year's midterm elections. But the White House and other supporters of the reform package say they are skeptical of the health insurance companies' rationale.

Aetna Inc., some BlueCross BlueShield plans and other smaller carriers have asked regulators to approve premium increases of between one percent and nine percent to pay for the bill's early benefits, the Journal reports. The rate increases would largely apply to individual plans (9 percent of Americans have individual plans) and those offered for small businesses (about 20 percent of Americans get coverage from small employers).

[screaminsunshine]

Nobody can pay the rates. The system is collapsing. I am planning on it. Republicans can not even stop it. The election can not stop it. It is too late.

[blu]

Our local government’s plan is going up 59%. Yeah, that hope and changey thing is working out real well for us...we hope that the people who will have to be fired will find some change in their new jobs...that is, if they get new jobs.

[NOBO2]

A POX on all their houses. First poster is right, it is doomed.

[blue state conservative]

Why can’t just one rich liberal like George Soros start a health insurance company (”The Peoples Insurance Company’) that charges rates the Left considers “fair”? If they are right about current companies overcharging then they will all be put out of business.

[sportutegrl]

Somehow, I doubt that this is the October Surprise that the Dems were hoping for.

[lowbridge]

bump