Senate panel votes down public option.
Tell me again what incentive insurance companies have to cut consumer costs?
“A government run plan will ultimately force private insurers out of business,” Mr. Grassley said
Sen. Grassley, tell us please exactly how private insurers benefit health care consumers?
Or are the needs of the insurance industry actually more important than those consumers?
10 comments
Tags: Health care
| Bouquet 9/29/09 4:18 PM | Reconciliation - 51 votes |
| grieker 9/29/09 4:25 PM | Tell me again what incentive insurance companies have to cut consumer costs? Gil, please tell me again how transparent and effective the government is when running a business. |
| eaglerick 9/29/09 4:27 PM | Again, from the top.... Get some people in there who have actually had to pay for their healthcare or will have to pay for it the rest of their lives and maybe they can just finally give us the same package available to congress. Make it available for every legal visitor and citizen and get it over with..... Its the only option they refuse to discuss in a meaningful way..... |
| littledutchboy 9/29/09 4:32 PM | QUOTE (Bouquet @ Sep 29 2009, 04:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Reconciliation - 51 votes They don’t have the guts…but who can blame them Obomacare is a dud a turkey a red headed stepchild and a tar baby that few can embrace and survive the 2010 mid term elections. |
| mam0412 9/29/09 5:08 PM | QUOTE (grieker @ Sep 29 2009, 04:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Tell me again what incentive insurance companies have to cut consumer costs? Gil, please tell me again how transparent and effective the government is when running a business. Tell me how gov't would be running a business if the public option were an option? The idea behind the public option is for the gov't to negotiate a contract with private insurance companies on taxpayers' behalf to develop an affordable group policy. Taxpayers pay in, taxpayers should receive pay out for claims. Think of it as the negotiating power of the gov't creating another group policy (just like large businesses do) that's more affordable to more people. Small businesses cannot create the economies of scale of a group policy on their own and thus cannot afford to offer similar insurance benefits to their employees as large companies. This is one reason why so many people are uninsured. But, you can bet the insurance industry will make a profit on the gov't plan. They just won't make as much as they do on other policies with fewer in the group (and they probably won't make as much as Blackwater did on their lucrative gov't contract). So, initially, their overall growth will be less, but they'll be more profitable. Over time, this new huge group policy may help reduce premiums in all policies without denting the profits. Companies have ways of coming up with new profit generating ideas (but regulation of the new schemes is another topic) to make up the difference. |
| Artie See 9/29/09 9:35 PM | QUOTE (Lancaster Online @ Sep 29 2009, 04:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Or are the needs of the insurance industry actually more important than those consumers? |
| ArtVandolay 9/30/09 7:51 AM | 1. Why not let companies purchase insurance for employees across state lines. Creates competition within the industry, insurance premiums will come down. 2. Require that insurance companies accept pre existing conditions. The Government MIGHT have to subsidize this in the form of tax credits to the companies instead of increasing everyone's premiums. 3. Build a system of Healthcare locations in communities that will accept patients without insurance. Including illegals. Build into medical school/interns requirements to work in these community clinics. Just some ideas that might help fix the broken areas of healthcare without reincenting the wheel. Most people are happy with what they have. This can cost a fraction of what is on the table now. But many lawmakers see the need to deconstruct the insurance industry. Many citizens believe that is a threat to the free market, therefore a bad summer of town hall meetings and dems jumping the sinking ship. |
| grieker 9/30/09 8:13 AM | QUOTE (ArtVandolay @ Sep 30 2009, 07:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1. Why not let companies purchase insurance for employees across state lines. Creates competition within the industry, insurance premiums will come down. 2. Require that insurance companies accept pre existing conditions. The Government MIGHT have to subsidize this in the form of tax credits to the companies instead of increasing everyone's premiums. 3. Build a system of Healthcare locations in communities that will accept patients without insurance. Including illegals. Build into medical school/interns requirements to work in these community clinics. Just some ideas that might help fix the broken areas of healthcare without reincenting the wheel. Most people are happy with what they have. This can cost a fraction of what is on the table now. But many lawmakers see the need to deconstruct the insurance industry. Many citizens believe that is a threat to the free market, therefore a bad summer of town hall meetings and dems jumping the sinking ship. Because it makes sense. You cannot expect congress to do something that makes sense. Have you lost your senses? |
| clanker 9/30/09 8:50 AM | QUOTE (ArtVandolay @ Sep 30 2009, 07:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1. Why not let companies purchase insurance for employees across state lines. Creates competition within the industry, insurance premiums will come down. Wouldn't the same thing happen that does with credit card companies? Move to a state that is lax with regulations and gouge the hell out of the consumer. It could also lead to largescale mergers. |
| knowntome 9/30/09 2:26 PM | how about the insurance companies keep the doctors afloat by subsidizing the small, inadequate reimbursements doctor's receive from medicare. one doctor, (must have been a right wing kook), said it cost him $200 an hour to run his practice, but Medicare pays $30 those evil insurance companies pay the rest ! we need to get rid of them, fast ! and provide quality, guaranteed, expanded universal coverage at no additional debt from doctors who are happy to work for minumum wage lol |
