Posted on 08/02/2009 2:12:59 PM PDT by reaganaut1
Watch out for Plan B. It's President Obama's fallback position on health care reform. It's Obamacare without the most controversial part, the creation of a government-run, "public" health insurance plan open to all comers at cut rate. And Plan B is something that Obama and the health insurance lobby both agree on.
Plan B is no day at the beach for health insurers. By imposing an exhaustive array of regulations and installing a powerful national health commissioner, it would turn health insurers into public utilities. They'd be assured a small profit, but competition among insurers would be gone and bureaucrats would be in charge.
Why would America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the fancy moniker of the health insurance lobby, agree to this? Survival. They're reconciled to a sort of plea bargain to avoid the death penalty--that is, the government-run plan, which more likely than not would drive them out of business and lead to a single-payer health insurance system like Canada's.
To avoid this, AHIP is now supporting two provisions that insurers with good reason have long opposed. They've dropped the right to turn down anyone with a preexisting ailment and agreed to something called "guaranteed issue and renewal." It means they'll insure anyone basically forever.
...
As you might expect, there are many, many problems with Plan B. Its first impact would be on health insurers. All but the largest five or six of 1,300 insurers across the country would be out of luck. Since Plan B would reduce the profits for insurance companies, and those with smaller margins--namely, regional, state, and local insurers--probably wouldn't be able to compete.
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
The insurers will only compete on administrative services provided and network discounts. The largest insurers will be able to negotiate lower pay to providers and charge less. This alone will drive out small insurance companies.
I don’t love insurance companies, but when government becomes the only insurer, things will be worse.
For people that really need insurance nothing is worse than what they have now..because now they have nothing.
In addition to taking over the medical system, it would result in the certralization of all health care. The small health insurance companies were the only incentive to keep costs down, and they will be done away with if this passes.
Congratulations on your recovery. I hope you stay healthy.
The insurance companies often suck in the sense that they sometimes try to deny coverage when it is needed most. Although time is your enemy, at least there is the possibility of redress through the courts. When a government Obamacare bureaucrat denies you coverage, there will be no recourse, because it is very difficult to sue Uncle Sam. Even that remote threat of discipline will be gone.
Yes, even Mussilini, one of the biggest facist dictators of all time, made Italy's trains run on time, every time!!!
This why I've screamed laffin whenever some dubious dude starts talkin about "Public/Private Partnerships!"
Hey everybody... It's Facism in it's classic form and substance!!!
Stopped clock. It would take a prodigious talent to be wrong absolutely ALL the time, but Madame the Speaker is making a good showing of it.
This bill is a violation of 5th amendment and 10th amendment rights of businesses and states.
I love insurance companies. We had hail damage claims and got our car fixed and two new roofs (home and business). We had good service, effficient handling and they were quite generous. So much so I was able to shop around and get extra work done on my car for the price of paid claim.
In that case I congratulate them on their good luck but I know of far to many who have been driven to near bankruptcy by insurers who refuse to pay.
I have never in my life been screwed by an insurance company. They are 98% ok and maybe 2% not okay, largely due to the nature of the system. Meanwhile, I've had several scrapes with the Government, but nothing serious happened, and every year the Govt demands a ton of my yearly labor and give back a pile of s*** in return. Insurance cos have a better track record than the Govt when it comes to treating people okay. One reason: You can always change your insurance co is you get hurt; can you do that to the govt?
A government system will have some accountability to the people they insure..private insurers have no accountability.
BS. The opposite is true. With private insurers you have watchdogs - The Govt. INSURANCE HAS ENDED UP BEING OVER-REGULATED AS A With Govt, the foxes guard the henhouse, THERE IS NO REAL OVERSIGHT BECAUSE IT IS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. When you get denied like the poor suckers in UK by NHS over some critical health issue, like having to wait until its too late for cancer treatment, who do you appeal to?
GOVERNMENT OPERATING BUSINESSES IS INHERENTLY INEFFICIENT, UNACCOUNTABLE AND CORRUPT.
I have never agreed with madam speaker but her observation that insurance companies are evil and villians is spot on..
Her observation is nothing more than poll-driven demagoguery. the Dems are creating villians out of thin air in order to divide and conquer people. IT IS THE EVIL THAT ENABLES BAD POLICY TO HAPPEN. Consider this: She is attacking free enterprise, she is attacking people. People work for these companies. If you work for a living in the private sector, she is attacking people like you.
Let me add one more point. I am not saying insurance companies are perfect.
but neither are car repair shops. It would be absurd to propose govt car repair shops as a ‘cure’ for the problem of some car repair shops being unfair to their customers.
You would indeed have died under an English or (likely) Canadian type system, depending on how far beyond forty you are. Good luck with your recovery!
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