New Bill Would Raise Rates, Says Insurance

[dgriffin]

New Bill Would Raise Rates, Says Insurance Group

Report Issued Before Key Committee Vote


By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 12, 2009

After months of collaboration on President Obama's attempt to overhaul the nation's health-care system, the insurance industry plans to strike out against the effort on Monday with a report warning that the typical family premium in 2019 could cost $4,000 more than projected.

The critique, coming one day before a critical Senate committee vote on the legislation, sparked a sharp response from the Obama administration. It also signaled an end to the fragile detente between two central players in this year's health-care reform drama.

Industry officials said they intend to circulate the report prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers on Capitol Hill and promote it in new advertisements. That could complicate Democratic hopes for action on the legislation this week.

Administration officials, who spent much of the spring and summer wooing the insurers, questioned the timing and authorship of the report, which was paid for by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), an industry trade group.

"Those guys specialize in tax shelters," said Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform. "Clearly this is not their area of expertise."

CONTINUED AT:

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101102207.html?hpid=topnews


I am SO surprised!

[gski]

Dave,
This is indeed the problem. It seems that throughout the years the representatives in DC have been and continue to suffer from a lack of breathable air. To me that can be the only explaination. Oxygen deprivation. Otherwise how could they come up with all of this Reality Show legislation.

Reality is a new concept, especially to the majority group. They need to explain a few facts to me: If it's going to cost Small Business more money to give their employee's insurance under the new bill, how is that going to help the economy? Does that mean that Small Business will simply make less money, or pass the cost on?

If Congress's plan is to cut Medicare reimbursements, does that mean that Dr's & Hospital's will simply have to make less money? Where do they make up for the shortfalls when this occurs, especially since the majority of them have already made cuts to be able to make profits?

If insurance companies are taxed higher for "cadillac" plans, does that mean they simply will make less money or pass the cost onto policyholders?

The fact that current healthcare bill backers are now saying the "costs increases" will be offset by tax credits and they are lessening the fines for people who can't afford insurance does not bode well for the Middle class.

Translation - We're going to pay more, and yup, it's a lot more that they thought.
From my standpoint, when government says "we're giving tax credits", I look for my wallet.

Another point to ponder as our friendly government increases the cost of insurance and raises the limits of whom can get what. Virtually each state has their own "subsidized" state insurance plan for lower income people. As the Fed's increase the "allowed income" access and more people are eligible, ummm,,,who's going to pay for it. Good guess....we are.

So just remember. The Health care for all, which won't raise taxes, and won't increase the deficit, will simply end up taking more money out of our pocket by increased insurance costs and state increased taxes to pay for Federally mandated insurance.

The Fed's out will be that they didn't raise the cost or increase the taxes. It'll be the insurance companies, the State's and the businesses who passed the cost on.

The shell game moves on.

[concerned]

In Congressman Arcuri's meeting during the Columbus Day meeting he talked about all the immigrants that have come from all over Europe into America and made this country what it is today. Health care reform came up in the conversation and he said that we must to something to cover the millions of illegal immigrants who come into this country saying that they cannot be just turned away from hospitals because they do not have health insurance. The immigrants who came from all over Europe came to America legally. The Mexican immigrants enter this country illegally. Why should they be covered? Why can't they deported? If an illegal immigrant gives birth to a child in the USA( which I am sure is planned) then the child is a citizen. Why can't they be deported?

"If Congress's plan is to cut Medicare reimbursements, does that mean that Dr's & Hospital's will simply have to make less money? "
I think what it means is that Doctor's will not be taking on Medicare patient's. I remember a few years back when my family physcian left Slocum-Dixon Medical Group I was told that Slocum-Dixon were no longer accepting Medicare patients. Thankfully due to some health issue's I have, after pleading with the business office one of the Doctor's in family practice agreed to take me as a patient. I worry what will happen if Medicare payment's to Doctor's and hospitals and nursing home's is cut back.

[gski]

Concerned,
Ultimately, I believe the object is to have everyone on "government" healthcare. My belief is that medicare will eventually go away. When you start cutting back on what it's paying the squeeze gets moved to other areas, then you'll have the outcry.

The government can't manage medicare/medicaid. I don't know, aside from audacity and arrogance, what makes them believe they can manage more.

Truly, my opinion, is that it's about getting at another big piece of the $ pie. More for them to play with and spend the way they want and not the way the constituents want.

To your point of Dr's,hospital's and nursing homes. They'll either join the government programs, get government funding or go out of business.

One big issue that they don't address is how will they handle the influx of people who now go for health care? That's where the rationing piece comes in. More people served by the same or fewer health care professionals, that means less to go around. That's called common sense. Something that's lacking in the our government today.

[dgriffin]

Oct 12, 2009 10:39:17 GMT -5 gski said:

Ultimately, I believe the object is to have everyone on "government" healthcare.

Me, too. What we're witnessing is the long, slow, agonizing trip to socialized medicine. Might be better to just go and do it. Then again, maybe that's how I'm supposed to feel.

[gski]

Dave, that's what I'm afraid of.

I'm still waiting on someone to tell me what the government has approved since they've gotten involved.

Wait, let's go on what the current group has done so far. Ok....let's use "Cash for clunkers".
Supposed to be $1 billion, ended up being $3 billion. How many dealers are still left holding the bag or have gone out of business because they still haven't been paid?

What did it show? We'll take a deal if we can get it. How much did the US economy and the "US" bailout dealers benefit? Last I checked it was the foreign dealers and Ford that benefitted most.

There's a great track record to go by.

What should be done? Fix what you've got first.

If our government was a car manufacturer we could equate this to producing cars that run for a while but keep breaking down and costing the consumer more money. They'd be the same people that would then produce a new car and tell the consumer it's new and improved, we should just shut up and buy it!

[dgriffin]

What all of this will soon produce is a nation of scofflaws. People will pay the government piper, but slowly and only at the last minute to avoid extreme discomfort. This will result in higher budgets to cover the shortfall. Tax collections will increase. Not just amounts, but stiffer fines and punishment as well as tax "surveillance." (Already begun.) People will stop reading newspapers and begin to withdraw from public debate, preferring to simply concentrate on what they consider the real things in life, hoping to get by and pay the bills. (Already begun.) An Us/Them attitude between citizens and the government and their police will rapidly develop and the public will begin to avoid the police and take matters into their own hands. This phenomena will explode when the gasoline of immigration is poured on it, because these people will have a natural distrust of authorities, born of centuries of experience. And when families can't handle the problems, private protection groups will form, as in the Sicily of long ago and the America of not so long ago. Finally, Hitler's great grandson will arrive on the scene and talk of hope and change.
Thank God for Mexicans and Hottentots, because they won't believe him.

Or something like that.

[dgriffin]

Oct 12, 2009 12:29:51 GMT -5 gski said:

If our government was a car manufacturer .....

.... we'd buy foreign cars.

There's a lesson there somewhere.

[clarencebunsen]

gski,

If insurance companies are taxed higher for "cadillac" plans, does that mean they simply will make less money or pass the cost onto policyholders?

My understanding is that the tax on "cadillac" plans would not be paid for by insurance companies but rather by the "cadillac" owners. That is why Jay Rockefeller is opposed to this provision, the United Mine Workers negotiated a whole fleet of Cadillacs into their health care plans,

[gski]

I love these responses!

I guess what's not funny but truly amazing is how the snakes in DC continue to slither along and not get stepped on. Now that they've passed the cost, increases, onto the Businesses, Insurance companies and States, they just wash their hands and simply say, " we're not raising your taxes", etc, it's the "bad businesses, insurance companies", who want to "make a profit".

From their warped view, why would any of these businesses need to keep making a profit?

It's be nice if some of these idiots in DC, actually knew what it was like to run a business instead of reaching down into their endless money pot and saying it doesn't affect them!