2009/8/3
The Speaker tells how she really feels about insurance companies:
Of course they’ve been immoral all along in how they have treated the people that they insure. They are the villains.
— Rep. Nancy Pelosi
Explaining why a public health plan would be like the postal service:
When you send a birthday present to a relative to – say I want to send something to one of my children in Nevada, the products that I choose can be sent by FedEx, UPS, DHL, or the United States Postal Service.
— Sen. Harry Reid
On why they give:
What do politicians listen to? Typically, it’s money and votes.
— Alonzo Cantu, founder, investor and board member of a hospital in McAllen, Texas
Whopper of the week:
If you currently have decent health insurance, thank the government.
— New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman
Response to Krugman:
The only reason anyone on Medicare has decent coverage is because he/she purchased private supplemental insurance.
Advice on health reform from Massachusetts:
Mr. President, what’s the rush?
— Gov. Mitt Romney
Harry Reid comment is a classic. Does he really not know that the only reason the US Postal Service exists is that it has a legally protected monopoly and it gets huge subsidies from the federal government?
First Pelosi isn’t often correct about things but on this point she is spot on. Insurance IS criminal. If it wasn’t a legally protected monopoly itself or if their buisness practises were conducted in the 20’s and 30’s, they would have been charged with racketeering. Their premiums rates are super inflated for not coverage but strictly for profit and greed.
If I were to offer you the chance to buy a 16oz. soda, would you consider paying $500 for that one soda? Of course not but insurance profits ARE 450%. Just like paying $500 for one soda. It is rediculous and it especially abhorent that they are protected against antitrust laws and have a legal monopoly. Again there is ZERO competition in the health-insurance field.
Medical care costs are lower in medicare than those under private insurance, approval ratings are higher under medicare- 92% approval rating vs only 80% on private insurance, AND no-one under medicare has to worry about being dropped without notice or without cause unlkie insurance where you have to worry about getting sick, (one of the major reasons for people beingdropped from health insurance). What is insurance for if not to protect you if you get sick? Why pay someone thousands of dollars for no return. If you really want to throw your money away like that, there are plenty of other ways. Go shopping– at least you get something for your money.
And as for the comment from the “heritage foundation”, there can only be one response– BULL!!!!
Medicare is fine without supplimental insurance. If you want more then get supplemental insurance but the care offered and recieved is both effective and affordable. Private insurance is neither effective nor affordable.
Private insurance is a lesson in legal theft.
And just who’s heritage does the foundation think they are discussing? Because it certainly has nothing in common with 95% of the entire population of USA. Maybe if you are Rockefeller they have something worth saying but scince there are very few Rockefellers around they are preaching to themselves and lying to thre rest of us.
I would also love to find out which insurance company owns the heritage foundation. Just like the “Lewin Group” is biased because they are owned in total by insurance, and their research is therefore suspoect for tampering and there can never be anything trustworthy because of that fact.
Brian, what planet are you living on? Medicare would probably be illegal if an insurer tried to sell it on the open market to the general public. Most seniors have to buy supplemental insurance and an additional drug plan — thus paying three premiums to three plans — and even then they don’t have the coverage most young people have.
Do you know anyone who doesn’t have gray hair who is paying three premiums to three plans?
Uh no. Seniors do not “have” to buy supplemental insurance. I can live with the 20% out of pockret costs not covered by medicare, it is after all less expensive to pay the 20%, than have to pay 40% and up for services that are only partially covered if at all. Chemo is a great example. Most insurance will pay 30-40 percent of chemotherapy treatments and you are responsible for 60-70% of the cost out of pocket. So pay 20% or 70 % which is cheaper? If I want to pay nothing at all, other than outrageous premiums that are inflated to the tune of 450% (the profit margins enjoyed by insurance).
Insurance isn’t the wonder that you portray it to be. It is a lesson in legal theft. I will sell you a 16 oz. soda for $500.00 if you want cause that’s exactly what insurance is doing to everyone, old or young.
AND as far as multiple plans…
1) private insurance
2) supplemental insurance to cover exspenses not allowed under a regular insurance plan.
3)Almost NO insurance plans cover medications, (unless you are willing to pay more in premiums, than the medications are worth on the retail market), so you have to get either another plan for that or foot the bill yourself. Or have an HSA.
If people were to offer medicare as an insurance plan, it would not be illegal and would quickly become the majority of insurance plans. AND it would be more effective in both actual medical results and also in controlling costs which are lower under medicare.
AND the reason that many doctors don’t accept medicare/medicaid patients is strictly because they get more money from private insurance in order to buy their loyalty.
Costs are a fixed thing. The machine costs only so much to manufacture, operate, and maintain. These are fixed costs that are re-cooped swiftly thus ensuring that the money charged for these services (MRI, CAT,etc.), is pure profit with no costs involved. Do you see a reduction in your charges when the equippement is already paid for? NO you don’t what you get is higher bills because their “costs have gonbe up”. BULL!!! The costs go up andf they raise prices and go to bermuda, costs go down and they still raise prices. History proves that insurance NEVER passes savings to the consumer.
Yes, you can and certainly do pay for more than one plan to get your needs met. Young or old has nothing to do with it. And BTW I live in America,m a land ruled and run by corporations that see consumers as just another wallet to steal from.
Brian, people insured by Medicare without supplemental insurance essentially have unlimited financial liability. Unlike private insurance, Medicare Part A does not have a stop loss provision. This fact alone makes Medicare a lousy policy.
Most standard commercial insurance does cover medication. Yes, the premium is higher, but why shouldn’t it be? Chemo can cost multiple tens of thousands.
If you purchase health insurance there is absolutely no reason why you can’t have multiple policies. The insurers work out who is the primary insurer and the secondary policy covers the gaps. That is why some people buy critical illness insurance.
Finally, costs, even in economic theory, are not fixed. They vary with production quantity.
So Linda-
Let mne try and get what you are saying. That if an MRI machine is produced and the cost of that production is $50,000, and I pay the entire $50,000. Then I can realistically say that I haven’t paid the cost of owning that machine? That after a year I can recieve another bill for what I already own? Then if I buy a car at $45,000, pay it off completely, that in 3 years the car dealership can come in and charge me another $45,000 for the same exact car??
That makes no sense let alone common sense. The car is worth the price of material to build, the cost of payroll to assemble those parts, and shipping charges to get the product to market, and finally a mark-up to account for profit.
So I can legally re-posses a car I have sold or re-charge the buyer?
The only actual cost that rises is possibly the cost of material for operation (chemicals and films, etc.), possibly the cost of maintenance, (due to higher wages of the repairmen). But the base cost is still $50,000 for the actually machinery. Once it is paid in full– it is paid in full. You cannot continue to demand full price for machinery that has been bought and paid for.(although that is exactly what insurance does). Charge every day for one item.