Stating the Obvious
Blue Cross/Blue Shield is gearing up to fight fixing Health Care – again. Fortunately, Paul Krugman exposes their nonsense with a simple question:
“We can do a lot better than a government-run health care system,” says a voice-over in one of the ads. To which the obvious response is, if that’s true, why don’t you? Why deny Americans the chance to reject government insurance if it’s really that bad?
If that’s true, why don’t you? Brilliant! The truth is insurance companies have no interest in improving Health Care – only profits. Their entire strategy is denying choice, or should I say rationing options.
Tags: Health Care
If they can run a system that everyone loves, why don’t they?
I hope advocates of healthcare reform are ready for the fight ahead. We’ve already had a warning about the talking points they’re going to use (the same ones as last time). I hope we’re prepared.
What BC/BS (emphasis on the BS) doesn’t realize is that they already are part of the largest government-run health care system – the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB). I in my 21 years dealing with BC/BS, I’ve never heard them bitch about not wanting to participate. In fact, they would rather knock oout all of the HMO’s and have the entire program to themselves. They are selfish and gutless bastards.
FYI there are several large non-profit health insurance companies.
Everything’s OK. KWS now holds the regulatory reins on BCBS DE.
A newsflash, Medicare and Medicaid also ration care and choices. Both programs also ration payments to providers.
St Francis Hospital has the unique problem of seeing more patients but also losing more money because of the reimbursememt rate for Medicaid and Medicare.
So, would the President qualify as a selfish and gutless bastard? He is rationing care, payments and choice.
Mike Protack
Pornstache, no, you are the selfish, gutless and clueless bastard. Let’s see, Medicare has been around for what, 40 some odd years now? So how can you blame this on BHO?
And if you are a doctor or hospital, you agree to the repayment schedule. Even those doctors and hospitals that join HMO networks agree to a certain payment amount, which is usually below what the actual procedure costs. And the insurance company and HMO keep the rest as profit.
This is one subject you don’t want to debate with me, since I’ve been working with and overseeing FEHB for years and know all the crap BCBS pulls.
Here is what I mean about Protack the perpetual liar. Medicare and Medicaid ration care in about the same way as your insurance company does. If your doctor won’t take the coverage, or if your insurer denies your treatment you are still SOL.
But I guess the insurance co bureaucrats rationing care and sending the savings to shareholders is better than Medicare.
from the Hockessin Community News:
Lack of competition among health insurance companies in Delaware is causing skyrocketing premiums for patients and employers, according to a report by Health Care for America Now. Health insurance premiums grew 77 times faster than wages between 2000 and 2007, according to the report, which will be released on May 20. Delaware’s two largest health insurers control 65 percent of the First State’s market, which has been called concentrated by the U.S. Justice Department, according to the report. To read the report, visit healthcareforamericanow.org.
But conservative say we’ll have LESS choice and LESS options if the government runs it. How can we have less choices and less options than we already have. The system is broke. While most have come to realize we need drastic changes to remedy health care, the Insurance industry is one of the last groups fighting any real change. And why not, they make a fortune denying care and are the biggest problem in health care, negatively affecting affordability, choice, cost and care. It’s hard to imagine health care getting worse if we got rid of Insurance companies.
Going to a single payer system where everyone is insured and we don’t need insurance companies who profit by determining who and what is covered (excuse me, why is it better for a for profit company to determine/DENY care than the government?) is the way to go, but my guess is it’s dead. The fight will be the opt in government program where you purchase your insurance from the government. The insurance companies are already lobbying against it. If the uninsured purchase insurance from the government and 20% eave the private insurance sector for the government program, the business model for insurance companies fails.
The For-Profit health insurance industry won’t go down without a fight.