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Posted on 10/17/2013 11:42:09 AM PDT by originalbuckeye
I have been trying to figure out why the Government regulations are being required of the insurance companies. Why make them cover say maternity costs for all women, including those over fifty? I think I have the explanation. By the health insurance skyrocketing for all, people will be forced to pay and accept higher costs associated with medical care. That way, when the inevitable single payer system is implemented, the citizenry will not feel as much pain as they would have when every working person's Federal taxes go up 10% to pay for healthcare for all.
There are many doctors who are switching over to a cash-only payment system, which cuts the insurance companies out of most day-to-day health care. This is the way it used to be and was a primary reason why we had good health care at low cost. Insurance should be for the “big stuff” (catastrophic).
This will work until the government requires that doctors take health insurance or they won’t be able to practice medicine.
I’ll forgive you for not looking at my posts, no, I’ve never said anything about wanting ACA at all. But facts are it was implemented by a govt that is presumably reflective of the majority. Insurance companies are merely following the ever changing laws as they’ve down for decades. Some are branching out, because they know there will be no such thing as health insurance in due time. Only single payer.
I'm not sure that was warranted. If you recall, the insurance companies originally fought against Obamacare. They argued that the business model wouldn't work under Obamacare. Several changes were made to appease the insurance companies. The democrats argued to the insurance companies that they wouldn't be hurt because they would get so much more revenue since EVERYBODY HAD to purchase the minimum plans. Dems convinced the insurance companies that as long as they were part of the exchanges, the pool of customers would be much larger.
As I understand it, the insurance companies were woo'd by the prospect of having higher premium revenues to offset the multitude of losses. It hasn't panned out however. Only those that NEED insurance will be seeking this entitlement. Those are the high risk folks that will be subsidized by the government. Indeed, the biggest insurance companies did help with the final designs of Obamacare. They struck a deal with the devil and most are now regretting it. The rest are hoping for the best. They are all now committed. The rates are high because the promises were bogus and haven't panned out. They now either have to make money or go out of business. The latter was more closely aligned with what Obama hoped.
Re insurance company regret: I just want to add to the discussion that the regret may only be a tinge of worry at this point. Some insurer stocks (Humana (HUM), Wellpoint (WLP), United Health (UNH), Aetna (AET), and Cigna (CI) are pretty close to their all-time highs.
I’m in your corner on this one. Obamacare was passed by collusion with the insurance companies and their lobbyists, not despite them. Also, from now on, “insurance” is a complete misnomer, much like “gay marriage”, since the risk/actuary free-market mechanism has been obliterated. They can now ask any price, you have to pay, and the IRS will make sure you do. It’s a tax on existence, put in place by a criminal enterprise running the WH, period. Obama’s jizya.
I disagree. I don't see FReepers complaining about "insurance companies." Instead, I see FReepers complaining about what is becoming of the insurance industry because of Obamacare. Insurance companies did get on board and supported Obamacare after initially protesting. They chose poorly. But they need to make money to stay in business and got sold a bill of goods. They got fooled. I don't blame insurance companies for trying to turn a profit. They are now battling Goliath with a slingshot. And I doubt God is taking sides on this one.
If you think we can provide single-payer for all with a measly 10% tax increase, keep dreaming.
Insurance companies began having multiple orgasms at the very thought of 50 million new customers being forced at gunpoint to buy their product. I ABSOLUTELY pin a share of the blame on them.
Why did you think we weren’t seeing those Harry and Louise ads this time?
IMO pre-existing conditions is the major cause of insurance rate hikes. Also with pre-existing conditions included, no longer should it be called insurance. Call it welfare.
Bingo! You notice that during the healthcare debates a few years ago you heard nary a peep from the insurance companies.
If they didn't want O'care they would have run countless ads and such against it.
Instead, we're required by law to buy their product. They have monopolies at the exchanges. Sure, they have to insure people with prior problems but they're raising premiums to deal with that.
I didn’t consider us spoiled until I worked for the NHS in Britain. There people are stoic, accepting of whatever they are ‘given’ when it comes to medical care. Americans are expecting the level of care we have had in the past. A really rude awakening is on the horizon. We HAVE had the best medical care in the world. It is no more.
I do not believe Obama will allow private medical care after single payer is implemented. It isn’t ‘fair’ that some will be able to afford private doctors. There aren’t private doctors in Canada.
I believe Betsy McCaughey found a passage that recommended a tax of 9.6% within the parameters of Obamacare for the single payer system when it is implemented.
“As I understand it, the insurance companies were woo’d by the prospect of having higher premium revenues to offset the multitude of losses. It hasn’t panned out however. Only those that NEED insurance will be seeking this entitlement.
(and)
Those are the high risk folks that will be subsidized by the government.
(and)
Indeed, the biggest insurance companies did help with the final designs of Obamacare.
(and)
They are all now committed.
(and)
The rates are high because the promises were bogus and haven’t panned out. “
Wow, do have any understanding of this, math or otherwise. When a policy has to have everything such as maternity for all, and people have to be accepted with pre-existing issues, do you have any conceptual idea what this does to the costs spread over the pool? I guess you believe that premiums - overseen by 50 separate agencies, i.e., per set and examined state - are set arbitrarily just to see how much profit can be made.
Govt. is not subsidizing any high risk, where do you come up with that. They subsidize low income. And consider this basic economic fact - You will get more of anything you subsidize. The US will be poorer overall, since it is again subsidizing failure and poverty.
Yes, the insurance co.’s are committed to following the laws of 50 different states and hoping to stay in business. And my conjecture at the start of this thread is proven, supposed conservatives will be glad to join in the class warfare when it suits them and gives them some meagar short-term govt. cheese to eat. You will soon be wailing for single-payer along with the idiots at HuffPo.
PS- And remember the IPAB, which will be denying care to those they deem unworthy. That’s a real cost cutter right there!
Me too. They drank the cool-aid, disrobed and crawled in bed with the beast. Stock prices notwithstanding, health insurance companies are NOT making more money off of Obamacare, yet. But they have already seen that their expectations (and reason for orgasms) were exactly wrong, hence the dramatic increase in premiums. Obama's problem now is and will be explaining why all these insurance companies are "allowed" to increase their rates. The beast is about to turn on them. After all this hub-bub about Obamacare is replaced in the media cycle, they'll start pressing legislation on price control of premiums.... wait, never mind. Obamacare gives them that power now.
The old "risk based" insurance model won't work for them now so they have to raise rates to the riskiest end of the spectrum. They no longer get to decide who they insure and for what price for that portion of the business that was to provide these 50 million new customers.
I am not defending the insurance companies. They made their bed. But it WILL be the fed that either 1) Bails them out or 2) Forces their demise.
Elections and bad decisions both have consequences.
I don't think they pay a lot of money for maternity costs for women over 50 so I doubt that's a problem. And insurance costs have been skyrocketing for years now.
I agree.
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