Posted on 06/11/2012 5:25:11 PM PDT by markomalley
Some of the nation's biggest health insurers will keep some popular parts of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul even if the law fails to survive Supreme Court scrutiny later this month.
UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna all said Monday that they will continue to cover preventive care such as immunizations and screenings without requiring patients to pay a set fee called a co-payment.
They also said they'd still cover adult children up to age 26 through their parents' insurance plans. Additionally, they all pledged to continue to offer a simple process for patients who want to appeal when their health insurance claims have been denied.
WellPoint, the nation's second largest insurer behind UnitedHealth, said it will announce its plans after the Supreme Court's ruling. The company runs Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in several states.
The announcements come after insurers initially fought to block passage of the overhaul, which aims to provide coverage for millions of uninsured people. Challenges from states and other groups opposed to the law, which was passed in 2010, made their way to the Supreme Court. Justices are expected to rule later this month on whether to uphold the law or strike down parts or all of it.
That major insurers are keeping some of the early provisions of the law underscores the popularity of those requirements. Patients have already gotten used to the benefits, and the insurers have already factored the cost of the provisions into the premiums that customers have to pay for coverage.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
I would imagine that their subscribers will start chipping away at this slowly but surely over time...after all, companies have to do something to reduce their fringe rates.
“Why should they voluntarily give up the revenue when their major clients companies..” (ADD>> AND GOVERMENT PLANS)... “have gotten used to paying it out?” .....
...out TWICE as guess who is paying for the Government plans.
The unavoidable law of economics will force them to re-evaluate.
I have no problem with them keeping any part of the law they want, just as long as consumers get the bill drectly.
Things will right themselves after that.
They will keep up this tune until they are competed out of it.
Market prices are the ultimate decider. Under the free market, you can be “Obama lite” until your competition undercuts you or the customers get sticker shock.
Industries are not permitted to collude with one another in setting standard insurance prices and/or services. They are supposed to be competive for consumers and not a monopoly. Corporate monopolies stink as bad as a government monopoly.
Surprise. Big pharmaceuticals and nurses’ unions also pushed for Obamacare. Have fun. Enjoy the slide and subsequent third-world American adventure ahead.
There will be no health care reform until consumers are directly fiscally and physically responsible.
And there’s the rub - the patently obvious inhumanity of asking someone to pay for their lifestyle choices. It’s the wedge issue that got us Obamacare and unless we figure out a “humane” solution we will lose the government health care debate. We’re too wealthy a nation not to have some kind of social safety net.
The electoral reality dictates that conservatives come up with something as they won’t accept suffering.
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