How Long Will Health Insurers Remain Patient with Obamacare?

By | November 20, 2015

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:25 am
    Bert Pace says:
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    The ACA mandates that most of the money paid in premiums must be spent on Health Care. Gee, imagine that! This makes a very good, in fact great case for Single Payer. You guys can go to the spot you’ve earned in hell.

    • November 20, 2015 at 2:04 pm
      rnr_risk says:
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      Exactly right Bert!! Thanks for saying what is obvious to everyone that doesn’t get paid by insurers for a living. Of course – a lot of these guys go crazy when its pointed out that health care is best delivered as you’ve indicated. It highlights the parasitic role insurance agents typically play when they get involved in the health care system.

      • November 20, 2015 at 4:42 pm
        integrity matters says:
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        Mr Risk/Bert,

        Obviously, neither of you have had a significant event in your life where insurance saved you from financial ruin. If you have, then you are either have a short memory or are really clueless.

        See my response below to another Bert to see why a single payer system would be worse than Obamacare.

        • November 23, 2015 at 1:48 pm
          FFA says:
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          Well said integrity. What these two don’t realize is that with out their employer turning a profit, they wouldn’t have a job. Maybe they are two people that believe ofnBama when he said the business owner didn’t build the business.

          • November 23, 2015 at 6:05 pm
            Agent says:
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            FFA, year ago when we had Slick Willie in office and Hilliary wanted Hilliarycare which was single payer, I heard an interview between her and a female health insurance professional. The lady asked her what would happen if all the health care insurance professionals in the industry lost their job as a result of Hilliarycare. Hilliary said to her – You are smart, get another job. That is the heighth of arrogance which is commonplace with Progressive Socialist Liberals.

          • November 24, 2015 at 7:56 am
            Ron says:
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            Agent,

            Regarding, “Hillary said to her – You are smart, get another job.” Isn’t that what you and everyone else in favor of a flat tax says when I mention how many accounting jobs, both IRS and public sector, would be lost?

            HYPOCRITES!!!

          • November 24, 2015 at 12:59 pm
            bob says:
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            Ron,

            And don’t you generally say you’re for smaller government?

            But you want to call people hypocrites more than you want to stay consistent. Clearly.

            I have told you again and again your issue is partisan behavior, and labeling republicans more than democrats.

            Take this same approach you just applied to republicans, against democrats. Assume they are hypocrites or lying, and then analyze their actions. You clearly don’t.

          • November 24, 2015 at 1:59 pm
            bob says:
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            Also,

            Removing an existing section of the private sector economy…And saying get a new job is different than reducing government jobs.

            False, equivalency. So not only did you set up inconsistency yourself (what you accuse republicans of doing) you also used false parameters to set up that inconsistency (something you accuse republicans of doing) and yet, you are a moderate, correct? With no bias whatsoever.

            Regardless: Numbers!

            Which you say I don’t quote…

            http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/IRS-Salaries-E41427.htm

            The salaries of IRS agents. There are about 80,000 IRS employees in 2015, so far. That is a pretty big decrease since not long ago when it was more like 100,000. So that’s a positive.

            http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Licensed_Health_Insurance_Agent/Salary

            The salaries of private sector insurance agents.

            This isn’t even including benefits. And you wonder why we have economic problems…

            Something I must add here: This actually means Agent and Hillary apparently missed the point. You can get better pay, and likely these government jobs would replace the health sector jobs with little to no affect on employment. What it would affect is healthcare efficiency, the size of the GDP (which would also reduce government revenues, coincidentally) and cause long term issues more than the gains.

            Revenues from the GDP sales of healthcare go toward the government spending on budget.

            http://www.forbes.com/sites/danmunro/2014/02/02/annual-u-s-healthcare-spending-hits-3-8-trillion/

            Healthcare spending was 3.8 trillion in 2014. If you even collected 10% of those revenues in taxes, that is 380 billion per year. See the point?

            By having a system with private and public healthcare, you can fund the public with the revenues from the private, or other aspects of the government.

            Please note:

            I didn’t quote an opinion piece. I took numbers and set up a methodology. Something you say I don’t do…Because you are a bigoted against republicans partisan fool.

          • November 24, 2015 at 4:30 pm
            Ron says:
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            bob,

            Read my FULL post, then try again.

            I said NOTHING about Republicans being hypocrites nor did I isolated IRS jobs.

            Someday you an Agent will learn reading comprehension, then, maybe, we can have an intelligent, civil debate.

          • November 25, 2015 at 10:38 am
            Agent says:
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            FFA & Bob, I don’t know if you saw the latest article on Townhall.com regarding Obamacare and guys like Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the architects and promoters now saying it hasn’t controlled cost. There is a whole lot to absorb in this article, but the main points is that we are seeing the “death spiral” well under way. Higher costs, lower enrollment and companies with reservations like United Healthcare are not helpful to the agenda. Liberals think they are so much smarter than anyone else and they are dumb as a box of rocks and have no common sense at all.

          • November 25, 2015 at 12:12 pm
            confused says:
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            “Liberals think they are so much smarter than anyone else and they are dumb as a box of rocks and have no common sense at all.”

            Let’s see if we can all avoid feeding this troll again

          • November 30, 2015 at 3:38 pm
            Agent says:
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            FFA, here is a goody which tells a lot about Healthcare outcomes between the US and other countries with Single Payer Socialist systems. A survey from the United Nations International Health Organization and published by Investor’s Business Daily:
            Percent of men and women who survived cancer five years after diagnosis – US – 65%, England – 46%, Canada – 42%
            Percent of patients diagnosed with Diabetes who received treatment within 6 months. US – 65%, England 15%, Canada – 43%
            Percent of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within 6 months – US – 90%, England – 15%, Canada – 43%.
            Percent referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month – US – 77%, England – 40%, Canada – 43%
            Number of MRI machines per million people – US 71, England- 14, Canada- 18
            Percent of seniors 65+ who say they are in excellent health – US- 12%, England – 2%, Canada 6%.

            Given these track records, why would anyone prefer the Socialist scheme of Socialized Single Payer coverage over our private system? Great Britain is actually proud that they put seriously ill patients on the “Pathway to Death” instead of treating them. That is how Death Panels work.

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:30 am
    peter l says:
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    As a client of “Obama-non care”, I do not understand why insurers are losing money. They only collect premiums, and offer no real coverage, until I pay the deductible of $6000/year.
    You and I both know, if I was out of pocket, my medical bills for checkups will never reach this ceiling.
    Its like buying a cheap economy car without power steering, or air conditioning.

    • November 20, 2015 at 10:50 am
      Jen says:
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      But, things can happen. I have friends who have become dangerously ill, in serious car accidents, rushed to the hospital unconscious, nobody bothering to ask them if they “choose” to get health care or not. I’m ridiculously healthy and I still ended up in the ER with pneumonia and a severe asthma attack once. Really glad I wasn’t on the hook for the whole $14,000 that time.

      • November 20, 2015 at 1:51 pm
        PM says:
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        Nobody ever said you should not carry insurance. Now you are mandated by excessive bureaucracy and management expenses that prevent companies from making a profit in the few cents they have above patient care costs due to covering management expenses.
        Its horrible that you were that ill. Hopefully you had insurance even prior to BOCare. If not, in the pre-BOCare method, hospitals would have covered the costs or negotiated for a reduced rate. Typically your costs would have been less than your BOCare deductible.
        The only thing BOCare has done for my family is raised rates and deductibles across the board.

    • November 20, 2015 at 2:24 pm
      FFA says:
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      I would think its all about having to cover the pre x’s. People have paid nothing into the system during the healthy years. No way the carrier is making any money on my family. But I have paid into the system for my entire life. People wait till they are sick to get coverage. It ends up being all expense in the company ledger.

      Bert…. Business 101 at Community College Level The purpsose of a business is to turn a profit. The money the carriers fund research with has led to many life saving treatments not to mention their impact on employment around the globe… Their impact in my office is to be able to fund an employee.

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:34 am
    lags says:
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    Give me break. Just look at their profit margin for everything else. Don’t even try and tell me these companies are losing money.

    • November 20, 2015 at 11:31 am
      Get your facts straight... says:
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      If their profit margin for everything else is good, then why would they want to put money and effort into a portion of the business that is not?

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:38 am
    Corinthiano says:
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    But it’s an open market and prices on the exchanges are set by the companies, so Anthem is free to charge more if they feel they need to make more profits. Although it’s also true that in an open market when you raise prices consumers are able to choose another more attractive competitor. So if you aren’t able to compete then there’s something wrong with YOUR organization, because apparently “Other insurers have said they’re doing fine.” If I were an Anthem shareholder I’d be more than a little worried that Anthem has determined that it’s unable to compete successfully in an open market.

    • November 20, 2015 at 2:01 pm
      PM says:
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      When the percent that has to be spent on patient care increases leaving less than fixed expense costs to maintain business, then it becomes unprofitable to be in that market segment.

      Did BO set the percentage himself? No could not have been, he had no experience. Probably a crony looking for an apt to HealthCare CZAR.

    • November 23, 2015 at 1:50 pm
      FFA says:
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      Corinthiano – rates are subject to Dept of Ins approval.

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:39 am
    Jeffb says:
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    surprise surprise. this is what we have been telling the idiot Democrats all these years. They should have to sign up for Obamacare. What a disaster.

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:45 am
    Don Jones says:
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    The better question is, how long will the public put up with the shady insurance companies who have always put profit above their customers?

    • November 20, 2015 at 10:41 am
      Peter Swinson says:
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      Don, all companies put their profit above the customer. Name one that doesn’t

      • November 20, 2015 at 11:10 am
        Craig says:
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        Well Tesla hasn’t posted a profit in 40 years, but yeah I get your point.

    • November 20, 2015 at 3:43 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Well, Don, how long do you think a company will be able to provide the service to those that USE the insurance if they do not turn a profit?

      Companies cannot continue to print money and increase their debt ceiling like our IRRESPONSIBLE govt leaders.

      The question is, how long will the foolish public who support Obamacare or a single payer system continue to believe that will actually be more affordable than a private health care insurance system?

      • November 20, 2015 at 4:50 pm
        InsGuy says:
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        You have to put the Health Care Systems and Pharmaceuticals into the mix as well. There is a new Hep-C drug that costs $36,000 / month. Chemo can cost that must PER TREATMENT.

        We need a comprehensive approach, not just a “let’s pass it to see what we’ve got” mentality.

        • November 20, 2015 at 5:58 pm
          integrity matters says:
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          I agree, InsGuy.

          Let’s start with removing the lawyers from the mix. Maybe the providers and mfgrs can provide a service without worrying about losing their business to the lawyer thiefs.

    • November 22, 2015 at 8:18 pm
      Yogi Polar Berra says:
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      Actually, the key question is: “How long will stockholders put up with insurance companies’ management who can’t turn a profit?”

    • November 23, 2015 at 1:57 pm
      FFA says:
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      The shady insurance companies that employ millions across the industry?

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:45 am
    Bill Stewart says:
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    It seems to me that this would be a good time to address a renegotiation with health care providers. Negotiate down on drug prices, and all healthcare related products. We can learn from our Canadian neighbors on how work from a cost plus negotiation versus a inflated ceiling down structure.
    It works very well in the food industry. You start at cost and negotiate a margin above cost that is mutually agreeable. This not rocket science but classic RFP negotiating.

    • November 22, 2015 at 8:21 pm
      Yogi Polar Berra says:
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      There is risk in research of new drugs, but no risk in providing food to a hungry nation. Thus, the profit loads reflect that reality. Try another approach which actually addresses the ‘costs of good sold’ rather than smugly state like a ‘Gruberian’ that the profit margins are too high.

    • November 23, 2015 at 1:58 pm
      FFA says:
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      Seems kit would have been a smarter move to address the underlying factors that drive the cost. Fraud. Tort to name a few.

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:50 am
    Kevin W says:
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    Don’t see how these insurance companies can lose. With the 30/40% co-pays and $5000 + deductibles, the patients are footing the medical bills. Add to that the guaranteed subsidized premiums from the american taxpayers… how can they go wrong? Leave it to them to whine because they want more corporate welfare. The ACA is just another unfair tax put on the working middle class. I ,personally was Obama’s biggest cheerleader for health care reform. Boy was I wrong, this is not what we had in mind. I am a Democrat who is going to vote Republican to get rid of this disaster health care bill.

    • November 20, 2015 at 3:52 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Kevin, The problem is that this whole thing was very short-sighted and rushed through the Democratic majority Congress.

      Common sense should have told everyone that you cannot add millions of chronically ill people into a system, have them pay very little and promise costs will go down. The math does not add up. It never passed the smell test.

      Too bad there are still those that are too blind to see the truth. I’m glad you now do.

      (FYI…Obama, Hillary and the rest of the Democratic clan (and some republicans) are still lying about some other very important stuff.

      The only way I would allow Hillary in the White House is if they put bars on all the windows and barbed wire fences around it and made it a federal prison.

    • November 22, 2015 at 8:24 pm
      Yogi Polar Berra says:
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      Ask Nancy Pelosi to explain it to you now that the bill has been passed.

    • November 23, 2015 at 1:59 pm
      FFA says:
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      Its the high end thats killing them. No policy limits, how can they set proper reserves?

    • November 24, 2015 at 3:53 pm
      bob says:
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      Define corporate welfare and list an example.

      The fact is in most cases we have “public welfare” at the expense of “corporate earnings”.

      Key word “earnings”. Keeping your own earnings is not a means of “welfare”.

      I am getting really tired of this new age “If we let corporations keep their own money that is corporate welfare!” crap.

      Is it right or wrong is another story, and in my opinion, the vast majority of businesses do more right than wrong.

      Just look at a few of the wealthiest men in the U.S. They give tons of money away and have countless charities.

      I despise the phrase corporate welfare, and I hate class warfare. Don’t engage in it.

  • November 20, 2015 at 8:58 am
    feudi pandola says:
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    Do not ask for whom the bell tolls…it tolls for thee.

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:04 am
    Elmo Lincoln says:
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    What’s the worry? After all, if you like your old plan, you can keep it. Period. Nothing in the ACA changes that. Just ask the President.

    • November 21, 2015 at 10:34 am
      PETE says:
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      Exactly Elmo!!! AND, I get to keep my doctor too (who now isn’t IN any plan I can get)….PLUS, I get to save $2,500 / year…NOT !!!!!!!!!
      What a bunch of BS. This guy hasn’t opened his mouth twice in 7 years without spewing a bunch of lies…. I say twice because he did say one thing without fibbing…he was going to change America. He has……and when he get’s the hell out of office he’ll put the toilet lid down on the way out!

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:05 am
    Don says:
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    It doesn’t say so here, but others have pointed out that the government hasn’t been as successful as it expected at forcing healthy kids to buy insurance at the greatly inflated prices the government is mandating for them. I can also testify to the fact that the exchanges, with their “enrollment periods”, constantly changes prices and obscure benefits, etc. are an ongoing source of frustration. No one would use them if the IRS did’t have a gun to their heads.

    • November 20, 2015 at 9:16 am
      vh says:
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      Yeah, it’s probably true that people who have a decent salary and decent health can afford to pay the gouge for not being gouged by insurance companies. But so what? Everyone else is paying through the wazoo for “insurance” that ISN”T: outrageous deductibles, outrageous premiums. And most people are being herded into HMOs, whose business plan is to avoid delivering medical care, especially to those who really need it.

      • November 20, 2015 at 10:47 am
        Jen says:
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        Insurance companies should be required to sell a policy to anybody who wants one, period. Otherwise we’ll have a medical “second class” that, because of genetics, a chronic illness or just bad luck, won’t be able to get care. That said, I have Obamacare and I think it’s VERY affordable compared to what I could get before (over $1k/month if they would sell it to me at all) – my deductible is $3000 and I pay the full price with no subsidies, $428 a month. Next year it’s going up to $441. Damn, I’ll have to do without 4 or 5 lattes. I am 47 and I live in Dallas, Texas.

        • November 20, 2015 at 11:34 am
          Get your facts straight... says:
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          They could sell a policy to anyone, but not everyone would have the same premium/deductible combination. That is where the sticking point is.

        • November 20, 2015 at 4:00 pm
          integrity matters says:
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          Jen,

          You didn’t mention your co-pay or out of pocket maximum. What are those numbers?

          What was it before?

          I’m glad its working for you, because you’re one of the few I have heard that it is working.

          • November 24, 2015 at 2:17 pm
            FFA says:
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            He probably hasn’t experienced the never ending co pay.

        • November 23, 2015 at 12:27 pm
          Dabear666 says:
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          If at age 47 you were paying more than $1,000 per month I would wonder what health issues you may have. That would have been extremely high for a person of your age in good health if the plan had any co-pays or deductible of any size.

          Maybe the reason the ACA works for you is because now there are people would would have been charged $250 per month who are paying that same $428 you are. You may not be getting a subsidy from the government but may be getting a huge subsidy from your fellow citizens who are being overcharged to make your coverage “affordable”.

        • November 23, 2015 at 1:44 pm
          FFA says:
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          Jen, Pre X Plans existed. In IL, it was called ICHIP. Most surrounding states had it too. In IL, BCBS Administered it at a lever that could be sustained. It needed work.

          The Tech Infrastructure was there. The distribution vech was in place. Trained and licensed professionals were ready willing and able to help people consider all options.

          Instead, they put on a bunch of pin heads that guides people to the cheapest price. They try to jam everyone into the system at once. Put together a crappy web site that was awarded on IL Cronyism – the Il Way (Michells Canadian College pal).

          And, with out policy limits, how does a carrier set proper reserves???

      • November 23, 2015 at 2:00 pm
        FFA says:
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        Is it the Gouge or is it proper pricing?

    • November 23, 2015 at 10:43 pm
      UW says:
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      The IRS doesn’t have a gun to their head. This is bullshit libertarian hyperbolic rhetoric. The penalty is a fine, which isn’t punishable by incarceration, they can’t garnish your wages, etc. They basically just take it out of your tax return. You are adding nothing to the conversation, and it seems like you do not even know the basics about the law.

      • November 24, 2015 at 2:18 pm
        FFA says:
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        The penalty is a tax as ruled by the Supreme Court.

        • November 24, 2015 at 6:42 pm
          UW says:
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          Incorrect. Roberts said that, the other justices did not say that. The Supreme Court cannot decree something a tax, and it meets basically none of the definitions of a tax.

        • November 30, 2015 at 11:37 am
          Agent says:
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          FFA, there are still some pinheads that don’t realize it is a tax that is levied by the IRS. Only their savior tried to get away with calling it a fine.

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:06 am
    American says:
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    United Healthcare already deny benefits for people with pre-existing conditions to the best of my knowledge. They are not paying for unnecessary tests and procedures suggested by mal-practicing doctors such as MRI for nose congestion due to cold. Extortion of USA doctors are on full swing with this non-sense Obamacare.

    • November 20, 2015 at 11:08 am
      Craig says:
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      If by “unnecessary test by mal-practicing doctors” you mean yearly STD test for unmarried 20-somethings, then yes I agree. United Healthcare doesn’t pay for that. They cover skin-mole removals 100% though.

      • November 24, 2015 at 3:15 pm
        FFA says:
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        IN IL, this practice is referred to Defensive Medicine. Run every test known to man so the 1 in a Mill dont come back and bite you for a mal practice suite. Got a Cold? Need a full lab work up just to make sure its not some obscure thing. When Med Mal awards started climbing is when Health Rates started jumping. Have a suite filed against you in Cook County, no need to defend. Just open the Check Book.

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:17 am
    Bert Kosier says:
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    First, I think that the “For-Profit” healthcare system in this country is morally reprehensible and the private insurance layer is just overhead and preventing people from getting the healthcare services they need. The statements the United Healthcare made about participating in ACA exchanges is laughable since they didn’t participate in 2014 and limited in 2015.

    So, with the exit of the major private insurers from the ACA lets force the politicians to do the right thing and implement a single payer system. When “single payer” starts to gain political momentum the major healthcare insurers will jump back into the ACA exchanges and say “Look this works”.

    • November 20, 2015 at 10:45 am
      Bill says:
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      Why complicate the system. Open insurance across state borders and Canada, and let the marketplace work.

      • November 20, 2015 at 11:13 am
        Craig says:
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        That doesn’t sound nearly as profitable as isolating customers and limiting options.

    • November 20, 2015 at 4:21 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Bert,

      Stop drinking the juice. A single payer system is not going to lower costs or improve care. It will have the opposite effect in both areas.

      First, the govt would have to administer it and history proves over and over than they are inept and laced with fraud and bloated expenses.

      Second, they would have to institute fixed reimbursement rates to try to control the healthcare cost. That would lead to people not wanting to be doctors anymore because their income would essentially be capped. The best and brightest people would choose a different profession and we would be left with 2nd, 3rd or 4th string doctor wannabes.

      If you want to lower health insurance costs, then you have to lower the expenses. We have to get healthier as a society and help lower the expenses of the healtch care providers. Legal expenses, R&D, insurance, the cost of their goods and equipment are big ticket items. The govt taxes and tort system also play a role for both the health care providers and the businesses they get their equipment from.

      Next, add in competition and it we might have a chance in lowering the cost. Consolidation of doctor’s practices and hospitals systems are reducing competition and escalating costs. The same holds true for insurance companies. Less companies means higher premiums.

      If you have ever been through a hard insurance market (when prices are increasing), it is when there are fewer insurance companies offering coverage. Guess what, when you only have a single payer system, you only have one insurance company. Most people can connect the dots to prove this will lead to higher costs. Can you?

    • November 22, 2015 at 8:32 pm
      Yogi Polar Berra says:
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      I assume you want the providers to earn no profit.

      If so, are you willing to bail them out when they lose money in providing their services… so they earn NO profit rather than NEGATIVE profit??

      If not, why would ANYONE risk losing money in a business venture when there is no reward?

      You may ask ‘Why should there be risk (and the necessary rewards) in the healthcare industry?’. That’s simple; because new drugs, procedure, and professional training have risks that cannot be ‘willed away’ as if the World were a nirvana with a fairy tale ending to everything.

    • November 23, 2015 at 1:53 pm
      DC says:
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      Just like the VA, right?

    • November 23, 2015 at 2:03 pm
      FFA says:
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      The govt is the one that tore down a system that was working. It need help, but it was working. And jamming everyone into the system at the same time right before the holidays. They really thought that through huh???

      • November 30, 2015 at 11:39 am
        Agent says:
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        They also have the Co-op people jamming up the system with all the failures of the Co-ops all across the country.

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:17 am
    LB says:
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    The fact that the law was constructed to supposedly benefit insurance companies in the first place highlights what is wrong with the legislation. The health insurance industry had already proven itself unworthy of the public’s trust. The law should have dismantled the insurance racket altogether rather than inviting their corporate fat-cats to a seat at the table. The object should be to ensure medical care is affordable, not that Aetna made more money. A single payer system would have been preferable to watching Aetna continue to spend their profits on lobbyists and propaganda.

    • November 20, 2015 at 4:27 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      LB….is that you Libby?

      FYI, get your facts straight…the law wasn’t constructed to benefit the insurance companies. It was constructed so that the whole health care system would fail, causing the Feds to “swoop in” and say they have to save it by making it a single payer system.

      The insurance companies were enticed to participate by giving them subsidies in an effor to make them think they could at least break even. Another lie since the govt is not living up to their reimbursement promises.

      Please see my response to Bert above, as to why a single payer system would be even worse than Obamacare.

      • November 30, 2015 at 11:41 am
        Agent says:
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        integrity, do you want to see even a bigger disaster than Obamacare? Implement Single Payer and we will be Venezuela in a few short years.

    • November 22, 2015 at 8:34 pm
      Yogi Polar Berra says:
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      How could a ‘law’ that is SUPPOSEDLY a ‘tax’ be designed to benefit insurance companies? Give us another example of the IRC that benefits insurance companies.

    • November 23, 2015 at 2:05 pm
      FFA says:
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      The law tore down their ability to properly combat fraud. 80/20 MLR when they were spending .30 cents on the dollar to fight fraud. What did ofnbama expect?

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:23 am
    Maxine says:
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    i guess thats the problem with the for profit health insurance model. Everyone eventually needs to file a claim so if you can no longer drop sick patients and are obligated to pay claims it doesnt look so lucrative. Then again, they can raise their premiums to whatever they want with hardly any justification so im not entirely sure i believe this. They ran out nearly all the non profit coops and are more powerful than ever. I think they like the unaffordable care act. I think they like it very much.

    • November 22, 2015 at 8:42 pm
      Yogi Polar Berra says:
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      Wow! Talk about a misinformed person!

      First, insurance rates are regulated by the states, and require extensive supporting documentation.

      Second, because everyone needs to file a claim means everyone must pay premiums that are adequate to pay those claims. Sure, there are inefficiencies in the insurance process. But competition keeps them to a minimum via the Darwinian Law of Survival of the Fittest (e.g. tightest run ship).

      Third, please state the profit levels pre- and post- ACA for the 3 major health insurers in the US.

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:36 am
    Jon says:
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    April 2015

    “UnitedHealth Group is rolling as one of the biggest winners in the Affordable Care Act era. The health insurer and services company posted significant first-quarter gains across all of its business lines.

    Profit jumped almost 29% year over year in the first quarter, totaling more than $1.4 billion. UnitedHealth’s revenue increased 13% to $35.8 billion. First-quarter earnings per share were $1.46, beating Wall Street’s consensus of $1.35.

    UnitedHealth is often viewed as the bellwether of health insurance earnings, and financial experts raved about the first-quarter results. “We believe this report will be received as a positive surprise and will likely be enough to drive the managed-care group higher, despite the outperformance year to date,” Joshua Raskin, a managing director and senior analyst at Barclays Capital, wrote in a research note Thursday.”

    Don’t be fooled. They are still making obscene profits. They just expect to do this in all sectors and in all lines ALL THE TIME. This is a feint, a negotiating gambit from hard-eyed grifters.

    • November 22, 2015 at 8:59 pm
      Yogi Polar Berra says:
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      Those are correct figures.

      But what will near future profits be (when costs to be paid rise sharply) ?

      • November 23, 2015 at 2:08 pm
        FFA says:
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        1st quarter is not a full year. 1st quarter is when people are paying the high deds.

    • November 23, 2015 at 12:56 pm
      Dabear666 says:
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      What I’d your definition of obscene? Your own numbers for revenue and profit show that for every $1 billion of revenue they have $960 million of expenses and $40 million of earnings.

      What profit do you think would be “fair?”

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:37 am
    Jon says:
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    UnitedHealth Group is rolling as one of the biggest winners in the Affordable Care Act era. The health insurer and services company posted significant first-quarter gains across all of its business lines.

    Profit jumped almost 29% year over year in the first quarter, totaling more than $1.4 billion. UnitedHealth’s revenue increased 13% to $35.8 billion. First-quarter earnings per share were $1.46, beating Wall Street’s consensus of $1.35.

    UnitedHealth is often viewed as the bellwether of health insurance earnings, and financial experts raved about the first-quarter results. “We believe this report will be received as a positive surprise and will likely be enough to drive the managed-care group higher, despite the outperformance year to date,” Joshua Raskin, a managing director and senior analyst at Barclays Capital, wrote in a research note Thursday.

  • November 20, 2015 at 9:53 am
    Curly says:
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    I think most people miss the reason behind the ACA law. Yes, it had the laudable idea of providing health coverage for everyone, will almost everyone. But to provide medical services to everyone there are many problems and interference namely the insurance companies. The ACA is only the first step in removing these problems and interference. The health insurance companies will have to be stripped of their power or destroyed. The later would be the better outcome for look at all the money that is wasted in salaries of all the management in these companies plus each company has to make a profit to return to the investors. The idea no investors no company. So when the private companies can be eliminated the complete coverage of medical cost can go forward.
    There is another couple or so draw backs to this vision though and that is the cost of the medical services and the cost of pharma. This is overcome in some other counties by the government is the source of all medical pharmacological services and medical. That may be the best way to control the cost and lower the tax burden to support the Department of Human Health Services. To support this system all would have to pay some taxes even those who are on government entitlements. Even those who would not other wise have to pay any taxes would have to pay this health tax which would be based on income from all sources and would be a smaller percent for the bottom income and increase as the income increases. Also all money that a person earns or receives from all sources would be taxable even if it is not taxable otherwise.

    • November 20, 2015 at 2:15 pm
      Dan Smith says:
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      “The health insurance companies will have to be stripped of their power or destroyed. The later would be the better outcome for look at all the money that is wasted in salaries of all the management in these companies plus each company has to make a profit to return to the investors. The idea no investors no company. So when the private companies can be eliminated the complete coverage of medical cost can go forward.”

      From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. Jeder nach seinen Fähigkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedürfnissen. Once society has changed to Communism, it will produce enough goods and services so that everyone’s needs can be satisfied.

      • November 20, 2015 at 4:56 pm
        integrity matters says:
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        Dan…were you quoting Hitler?? I’m not sure if you’re agreeing or trying to straighten out Curly. (yes, I did that on purpose) :)

        • November 23, 2015 at 1:07 pm
          Dabear666 says:
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          He was quoting Karl Marx, but you knew that.

    • November 20, 2015 at 4:54 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Wow, Curly. Do you really believe the BS you just spit out?

      Why don’t we give the govt all of our money so they can give us what they think we need?

      What happens when all the money runs out and they cannot tax us anymore? Here’s a hint…see Greece. Or better yet. See Cuba. The Castro’s have done such a great job in running their country (in the ground). The former USSR is also a good example. How did that work out for them. North Korea is a fine example. China’s growing. Of course, your child might be told they have to work in a factory for their entire life.

      Maybe this is appealling to you, but it is not for me or any of my children or grandchildren.

      • November 24, 2015 at 8:01 am
        Ron says:
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        integrity matters,

        If you’re allowed to believe the BS you spit out, why can’t Curly?

        • November 24, 2015 at 3:40 pm
          integrity matters says:
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          Well, Ron, what I spit out is not BS. It is based on truth, logic, reflection on past history and being able to critically think about the cause and effect of decisions.

          Clearly, theses attributes are lost on the left wing progressive socialists. The examples I provided demonstrate the problems with the “vision” Curly described. They are more drawbacks than the ones he identified.

          What’s your excuse for believing the BS you hear and spit out?

          • November 24, 2015 at 9:04 pm
            Ron says:
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            integrity matters,

            What I spit out is not BS. they are facts, data and statistics.

            These attributes are lost on the right who prefer to defend their “truth” and “logic” with talking points and empty rhetoric.

    • November 20, 2015 at 6:43 pm
      FromSanFrancisco says:
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      You may well have stated, “let’s give the healthcare marketplace to one company and create a monopoly.” Whether an entity is a private sector monopoly or a government monopoly, they are both very bad for the consumer. Healthcare is used a tool for the government to have more power and more of your money. When you allow any entity get rid of all competitors to the Government or a Corporation, you are basically allowing them to hold you hostage to anything they want to. As consumer, you have basically given up all your rights to the marketplace. Yes we do have to allow for good access to healthcare (such as allowing those with pre-existing conditions), however the rules must now allow abuse as we have right now. 90% of the ACA is very bad law, actually it’s horrible law. Even Obama’s own architect of the so called “ACA” stated that it can only get passed with the stupidity of the American people, perhaps more so the many clueless who has voted for the worst President every to server our country.

    • November 23, 2015 at 2:11 pm
      FFA says:
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      The ACA accelerated the problems. We didn’t have massive amounts of people complaining. Some yes. But not the massive amounts we have now. People liked their plan and their doctors and were promised that they could keep them. Who told them lies? UHC? Aetna? BCBS? A Cook County (IL) Politician?

      • November 23, 2015 at 3:11 pm
        Agent says:
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        Hi FFA. You are right. 5 years into this and there is still bitter debate. Those Progressives really thought they pulled the wool over on the American People, didn’t they? Hey, they had to pass it to see what was in it. They had to pole vault over the wall to get it done. What a colossal mistake they made.

        • November 23, 2015 at 3:31 pm
          FFA says:
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          Agent, Remember the good old days when you wrote a policy and didnt have to think about any more? When local doctors were in network as well as the local hospitals? I am trying to help one person out.All Doctors are in network, but no local hospitals. The only time you heard from the health client was to re-market every so often? Now, its multiple times a year, countless hours battling a poorly designed web site, correcting mistakes Navifngators told people, not to mention the f’n app specialists. All they do is regurgitate what Obama wants them to say. Not to mention the lie he told us agents about full new biz commish when it was 15%. We dive into it just to find out at the last minute new business commis is now 5%. And People blast us agents when all we do is try and help them for barely nothing. He has really divided the nation on this matter making it out to be prejudice. Then the dumb ass want to open the borders when we have children starving in our streets. He is a dumb ass liar of the highest kind.

          Oh by the way, the web site sucks too.

          • November 23, 2015 at 5:52 pm
            Agent says:
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            FFA, tell me about all the grief this Progressive nightmare has caused the folks. This guy should have been impeached already for the harm he has caused. I tell you what, if we have a Paris incident in this country and he is still preaching that we aren’t at war with Islam, I think he may get his wish and be impeached. People are sick of this Muslim lover. Letting Syrians in at this time is a terrible mistake and all it takes is a few to do great harm. I don’t think most would say it is workplace violence anymore.

            Did you get any of that snow that swept across your area in the past week? That Global Warming is really tough, isn’t it?

          • November 24, 2015 at 2:26 pm
            FFA says:
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            I am finding that local Docs are network providers, but not hospitals and vice versa.

            One client gets rushed to the ER as he has a bad heart. We all know all ERs are in network. Well, he gets checked in. Hospital is not a network provider so he gets to eat the hospital bill.

            I have another client that would need to travel from the Far West Burbs to Chicago to get a network hospital if she would have taken the advice of the pin head navigator. According to a post up above, it would be the slimy ins agent that screwed the client, not the poorly trained navigator that is taught to regurgitate scripts.

          • November 29, 2015 at 8:54 pm
            UW says:
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            Agent, … He has repeatedly said terrorism is a key concern. However, he should probably focus more on right-wing terrorism, similar to the hate and ignorance you preach daily. We have had 2 major right-wing terror attacks in the US in the last week.

  • November 20, 2015 at 10:09 am
    Hester says:
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    Aetna buys Coventry in 2012 for $5.6 Billion.
    Aetna Buys Humana in 2015 for $37 Billion.
    Aetna pays CEO Mark Bertolini $30.7 Million a year for creating these opportunities.

    Sounds like the problem really is people seeking Healthcare on the exchanges, and not Systemic Corruption in Helthcare to Me!

  • November 20, 2015 at 10:19 am
    Adam01time says:
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    The day when the insurance companies stop selling a product for people when they get sick. and the moment they get sick take away the insurance because they are to sick to pay the premium.
    Obama care was a big give to the insurance companies a law says you have to have it. Well when was the last time you seen your car insurance go down. If your in your car driving your covered for 100,000.00 dollars medical.
    that is 43 dollars a month what gives.
    The single pay system for medical will happen or the people will start putting the insurance companies in jail.
    they already should be there.
    I paid for 20 years my premiums I got cancer and they dropped my account.
    In the world of business go f%^k your self Blue cross blue shield. and your brothers to.

    • November 20, 2015 at 10:41 am
      Seymour Goode says:
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      It’s all about Filthy Lucre:shameful gain (Merriam-Webster definition: 1. obsolete).

      Shameful game.

    • November 20, 2015 at 5:11 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Adam, So sorry to hear about your cancer. I hope you have beat it or are in the process of beating it.

      If they dropped you just because you got cancer, that is wrong but probably legal. That’s like an auto insurer dropping an 18 year old for having 5 accidents. It’s called underwriting. Unfortunately, that is a necessary process sometimes and we all hope there would be more compassion given the circumstances.

      Your analogy of $43 month for medical under the auto is so low because it the coverage only applies when medical coverage is needed due to an accident. The probability is a lot lower than the need for everyday health care.

  • November 20, 2015 at 10:42 am
    Bill says:
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    Obama and his health services team are again living on a different planet, or drinking funny koolaid. United is the largest service company of insurance in this country, and they don’t matter? What idiots. If the marketplace dictates obamacare, and if the us gov. doesn’t ensure positive profits for these companies, changes are in the wind. I am selling my health insurance stocks prmptly before they tank.

  • November 20, 2015 at 10:43 am
    Tonya says:
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    I have no patience for the insurance companies. They backed us into this system because they did not want a single payer system. If the ACA fails because the insurance companies “can’t make a profit”, they will need to accept that the best solution is universal healthcare like every other civilized nation already has. People’s health should not be a for-profit business!

    • November 20, 2015 at 4:35 pm
      UW Supreme says:
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      Tonya, have to disagree with you here. It absolutely should be a for-profit business. Otherwise, what is the incentive for insureds to stay healthy? There is none. Health insurance isn’t a right, it’s a necessary evil….kind of like water (bottled or even tap), and you can’t tell me those aren’t or shouldn’t be for-profit businesses either.

      Pre-existing/serious illnesses aside, our goal should be to limit our medical appointments, exercise, eat healthy, and not partake in drug or alcohol abuse. God forbid, we have the insurance there for when we need it, and frankly, I’d prefer for my health insurance carrier to be making a profit in order to ensure they won’t become insolvent. I’d prefer to not be left holding the bag for any serious procedures that otherwise would be covered.

    • November 20, 2015 at 5:27 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Tonya,

      Did you get that BS from MSNBC?? Obama nevers takes the blame for anything and now the spin for Obamacares birth and failure is the insurance companies fault??

      If people’s health should not be a for profit business, then that means that all the doctors, nurses, hospitals, specialists, etc need to become govt employees. Those operations are all currently “for profit”. If that ever happens, the quality of our health care will go down dramatically.

      • November 23, 2015 at 1:52 pm
        Yogi Polar Berra says:
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        Poor quality healthcare service if the govt takes over the hospitals, doctors, nurses, clinicians, pharmacists, etc.?

        No, the government does a fine job at providing automobile regulatory services at each state’s Motor Vehicle Dept. Oh, wait! Let me change that to the USPS. Oh, wait! Well, what about monitoring the border so no creepy terrorists can enter the US… oh, wait!

        Never mind.

  • November 20, 2015 at 11:00 am
    Richard Daugherty says:
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    It is time for the government to cap costs on hmos. All the jobs have be shipped over seas. People don’t have the money to fund the ceos salaries. My wife can’t get tests because we cant afford the co pay

  • November 20, 2015 at 11:02 am
    Craig says:
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    In 2008 United healthcare Group’s stock was between $17-22/share. In 2015, it’s $120 a share. They’re net income is 5.6 billion. Yeah, this affordable healthcare act has been really unprofitable for them…(sarcasm). They’re just pissed the government came up 13% short on some subsidies they were promised. They’re putting pressure on the administration to pay them off further.

    That being said, if you’re not on welfare, the healthcare.gov is the most expensive source of health insurance I’ve found. I get much cheaper rates per coverage levels by calling up the companies directly. I’m not sure why.

    • November 23, 2015 at 2:16 pm
      FFA says:
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      Craig, thanks. I was unaware of another broken OBama Promise. Or was it a lie to begin with?

  • November 20, 2015 at 11:12 am
    Edward H. Parker, Jr. says:
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    Do you think the politicians hoped the insurance companies would drop out of providing health care policies tied in with Obamacare? The pols know that once this happens then we will have to go to single-payer which will be the federal government. Then the fight will start whether everyone will be covered by a Medicare type coverage, Medicaid type coverage with the states paying about half the cost or some other system.

    For primary care physicians (family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics) it is impossible to survive if all reimbursements are at Medicare rates.

    • November 21, 2015 at 10:48 am
      PETE says:
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      EXACTLY! And that is why WE pay more on an escalating basis. Because the government dictates to providers that THEY (the government) will pay much less! It’s called `cost shifting’ people! AS ALWAYS, the government creates a problem, then tells us they know how to solve it! BS!

  • November 20, 2015 at 11:18 am
    Bill says:
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    $2,100 per month premium ($25K/Year) with $12,900 family deductible. $38,000 before the insurance pays anything. Used to be $600/mth with $3500 deductible before ACA. This a disaster.
    Democrats shouldn’t be allowed to vote anymore.

    • November 20, 2015 at 4:56 pm
      County Line says:
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      Obama and his D-minions perpetrated the biggest lie on the USA in (most of) our lifetimes.
      Affordable–Hah!
      Care–Bah!
      Act–yeah it was a great acting job indeed to pull off hijacking 90 percent of our populace’s healthcare freedoms, not to mention our wallets!

  • November 20, 2015 at 11:20 am
    Jeff Vachon says:
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    Perhaps it would be more profitable if they simply stopped treating so many people and just let them die? Money is the objective, not saving lives or providing health care!

    • November 20, 2015 at 5:35 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Perhaps the system would work if the govt got out of our lives.

      I’m not sure…did the health care system and health insurance work in the 60’s and 70’s? I don’t remember my parents complaining about the costs or the media trashing the insurance companies.

      What changed? We got unhealthier, the govt got more involved, the lawyers started suing everyone, health care costs increased, health insurance increased, repeat, repeat, repeat.

      • November 23, 2015 at 8:36 pm
        Don't Call Me Shirley says:
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        …and the CEO’s make a lot more than they did in the 60’s and 70’s.

        • November 24, 2015 at 3:49 pm
          integrity matters says:
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          So do you.

  • November 20, 2015 at 11:37 am
    Chuck Fellows says:
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    Maybe insurance companies should be subject to this nations anti trust laws.
    Its amazing how private insurance companies in the US have destroyed health care with the free market for profit model. They have also destroyed the concept of a market where consumers have an opportunity to make choices.
    Their business model, now subject to external scrutiny, is weak and failing as indicated by falling profits.

    • November 20, 2015 at 5:41 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Wow, you liberals are out in droves today.

      When will you people get it? Health insurance costs are a product of health care costs. Health insurance costs rise because of the claims that have to be paid.

      We need to fix how much health care costs. That is what is driving this. Start blaming the lawyers for driving up the costs because they are the ones forcing the increases in premiums for all the providers and medical device mfgrs.

      Why doesn’t the govt shut down the lawyer fatted calf? Because they are mostly lawyers themselves. Remove that lobby and we all win.

    • November 21, 2015 at 10:55 am
      PETE says:
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      Simply put, if I’m a doctor and I can see someone for $50….
      Then the government (Medicare, Medicaid) says they won’t pay me $50, they’ll only pay me $20,what do I do? I have to pay for my office, my staff, myself, etc….. So, I charge my private paying patients $80 to make up the difference, because MY COSTS ARE FIXED.
      Same applies to hospitals….
      Pretty damn simple! That’s what started this nightmare to begin with…..the GOVERNMENT getting involved and PRICE FIXING!

  • November 20, 2015 at 12:05 pm
    Brian says:
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    I don’t get why people’s health should not be a for-profit business. Somehow health care is exempt from how markets work. Should fitness gyms make a profit? Should health care workers compensation be artificially set? This isn’t a zero sum game. Profit is good. Profit is not greed. Hey, you made a lot of money — YOU’RE AN EVIL PERSON ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!

    What is greed? Theft, robbery and fraud to obtain and contain wealth. I’ll tell you what is greedy. A small group of domestic and multinational insurance corporations drafting legislation to compel an entire populace to purchase their product under the threat of a government dictat. When I purchased healthcare through the exchange, I was offered plans provided by 5 different insurance companies. 5! Next year that number will reduce with these companies falling off the exchanges.

    The irony is, I can’t even get in to see my doctor when I need to, like when I develop a throat infection or sinus infection that manifests upon waking up for work. I end up going to a minute-clinic and paying cash. I also am seen within 10 minutes and receive better care, at least better than what I receive at the sterile (and I’m not talking about sanitation) health care factories that contain my families doctors. That money wasted on me paying the premium on the insurance for the doctor I wasn’t able to see was money taken away from spending it on your business. It was money taken away from whatever service you provide. So now the bow maker, or the cobbler, the after school teacher, the Red Cross, the Habitat for Humanity, the electrician, the hair dresser…they don’t get that money as I used it on something I didn’t even benefit from because if I didn’t pay it I would have to pay penalty to the IRS. Instead, Anthem gets that money.

    • November 20, 2015 at 5:51 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Brian,

      First, stop watching MSNBC because they lie. The insurance companies did not draft this legislation. Obama and the Democrats drafted the legislation. Repeat after me…MSNBC lies. The insurance companies did not draft this legislation. Obama and the Democrats drafted the legislation.

      Second, You can’t get into seeing your doctor because they don’t accept Obamacare. This is because the govt does not pay them promptly or for what they are suppose to pay them.

      If your mechanic only got paid 70% of what they charged, do you think he would want to do business with that person or organization? Providers can’t argue because they have no recourse against the govt.

      Guess what…multiply that by 1000 with a single payer system.

      • November 23, 2015 at 12:10 pm
        jadefox says:
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        I had a knee replaced. The total bill was $36,000 but all concerned accepted $14,000 from the carriers.

        What is the actual cost of the replacement? No one knows. The medical system is a ripoff.

        The industry is growing by leaps and bound.

        • November 24, 2015 at 3:54 pm
          integrity matters says:
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          Good thing you had a health insurance carrier that had negotiated reduced rates for certain procedures.

      • November 25, 2015 at 10:44 am
        Agent says:
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        integrity, Ezekiel Emanuel and Jonathon Gruber were the main players in drafting the legislation and the chief liars outside of Obama & Pelosi.

    • November 23, 2015 at 12:12 pm
      jadefox says:
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      before ACA, I learned that my doctor “rationed” appointments according to the most generous insurance company. Guess what, mine was not in the top three. Very difficult to get appt. Walk in Doc in the Box is where I ended up, paying cash for service.

      • November 24, 2015 at 3:56 pm
        integrity matters says:
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        Time to look for another Doc, if that is the way he runs his operation.

        Wait…did you have discount health insurance through Obamacare? I thought Obamacare was supposed to improve the quality of service?

  • November 20, 2015 at 1:36 pm
    Dennis Wall says:
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    What a question. “How long will health insurers remain patient with Obamacare?” For as long as they can charge premiums and they are the only game in town, no such thing as single-payer in their business model. Duh.

    • November 20, 2015 at 5:20 pm
      Agent says:
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      A more accurate statement is – How long will patients stay with Obamacare. Enrollment will be low once again and the American People are fed up with their costs and all the lies told to them by the Progressive Democratic Party. Repeal and Replace with a Common sense law. Enough is enough.

    • November 23, 2015 at 12:08 pm
      jadefox says:
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      Well as long as they don’t gotta pay much, they will be collecting the bucks.

      • November 25, 2015 at 11:39 am
        Agent says:
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        jadefox, read the article on Townhall.com for Tuesday. The industry is being overwhelmed by the chronically sick claims and enrollment of the healthy keeps dwindling. We call that a death spiral where I come from.

  • November 20, 2015 at 5:28 pm
    Richard Lowe says:
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    I don’t see the executives taking a pay or bonus cut and the stock prices are all booming! What are they crying about?

    • November 20, 2015 at 5:54 pm
      integrity matters says:
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      Why should they? Are you going to take a pay cut because your customers think you charge too much? Same principle. You just might have a few less comma’s in your paycheck.

      • November 23, 2015 at 8:41 pm
        Don't Call Me Shirley says:
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        Sure integrity, I’ll gladly take a measly 10 million, instead of 100 million. Where do I sign?

        • November 24, 2015 at 4:03 pm
          integrity matters says:
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          That’s the spirit! And, your choice, of course, because it is your money.

          If you own your own business, you should give yourself a pay cut. If you are an employee, why don’t you tell your boss that you want to help lower the costs of the products you sell and tell him/her to reduce your salary to help pay for it?

          Since you think others should do it, why don’t you lead by example? Wait, you probably think you should lead from behind since that is what the Liar in Chief does, right?

  • November 23, 2015 at 11:40 am
    wrong idea says:
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    I think people do not understand what the PPACA actually is and that is a big part of the problem. It IS a tax. It is a tax on the insurance industry. One that is passed through to large companies (for now) in the form of a 3.8% increase in premium for 2016 before any underwriting. The law actually provides ZERO insurance for people, it mandates you either buy insurance (which is taxed per person per plan) or you pay a penalty. Not one single uninsured person was provided insurance under this law. This is where people misunderstand the law. The government does not want to sell you health insurance, they do not want a single payer system, they need the tax dollars to pay off the huge deficit we currently have and fund new pet projects. They threw in the expansion of Medicaid because the thought process is, once someone is receiving govt money, they will always vote in that party so they can keep receiving it. As far a PPACA, the individual carrrier networks are atrocious, at least here in NY, and the premiums are very expensive. Insurance is a private industry. This also seems to be lost on people. Private industry should be allowed to make money. Doctors do not want to take pay cuts. Nor do attorneys. Nor do hospitals. However, insurance brokers have taken it on the chin. Would you take a job where you know your salary is capped? Maybe in the NBA or NFL, but not a middle income, 8am-6pm, 5 day a week job where you will also find yourself working from home most nights and on saturdays. You do that in hopes of a raise in salary and a better living experience. And try to call a marketplace exchange with a problem regarding a bill from a doctor or hospital and see how it (doesn’t) get handled. Then you will crave for the way things used to be.

  • November 23, 2015 at 12:07 pm
    jadefox says:
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    I remember once upon a time, when I first started working, my employer deducted about $9 from my paycheck for hospitalization. I had to pay for all my doctor visits and medicines. If I went to the hospital, the insurance would cover it. My father’s plan was the same way for years.

    Then, slowly but surely, health insurance companies began to expand coverage to include doctor visits and drugs. Why? To increase market share! Guess what, people began using the insurance. What happened? Companies started raising deductibles, copays and setting up PPO’s HMO’s to control “soaring costs”.

    The advent of Medicare and Medicaid contributed to the “soaring” costs. The private sector began offering cradle to grave policies at very high premium, which they chose to subsidize. Yet nothing has worked.

    Take a look at hospitals. Many of them are in growth modes. Freestanding clinics and ER’s are everywhere? Why? Because of the money available. They are taking advantage of the circumstances.

    Solution: Outlaw health insurance. Revert back to pay as you go. Price will drop like rocks. Stop advertising directly to consumers so they will go to doctors seeking the latest and greatest. There should be one catastrophic plan to cover hospital costs, end of life costs and long erm care. All else the consumer pays.

    The health insurers have hit “too big to fail” status and the morons in the government will not let them.

    • November 23, 2015 at 12:57 pm
      Agent says:
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      Jadefox, when I first started writing Health in the “free market”, most plans were straight 80/20 with a deductible with a max out of pocket before it paid 100%. Then, they started covering office visits with co-pays, tests etc, etc etc. You could buy good, better and best depending on how much premium you wanted to pay. Of course with the advent of Obamacare, people were forced to buy the mandates for birth control, abortions and any number of other things that people didn’t necessarily want. No wonder 6 million of those plans were cancelled and the costs have skyrocketed as a result. The days of Obamacare are numbered since we see story after story of how it is imploding.

      • November 25, 2015 at 10:51 am
        Jadefox says:
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        The insurance industry: The only business that punishes the customer for using the product sold to them. Too many claims, cancel them! Too many claims, raise rates and deductibles! Solution: Force folks to buy insurance under terms and conditions so adverse that people are discouraged to use it. Like $3000 or $6000 deductible under ACA. Doctors will not lower their prices because the insurers reimbursement is inadequate. Oops wait a minute: Many docs have ownership in the clinics that are abounding. Plus they have PA’s doing the work while they play golf. Too much money available.

        • November 25, 2015 at 11:24 am
          Agent says:
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          Not sure I agree with all your conclusions Jadefox. The Emergency Room problem has not been solved by Obamacare as the Progressives said it would when they were trumpeting their law. Yes, Doc in Boxes have sprung up to treat minor illnesses and injuries and obviously, the $3,000 deductible on many plans means there is no coverage so they just arrange pay out plans or the patient just pays cash from their HSA account they are squirreling away.

  • November 23, 2015 at 4:04 pm
    Heather Hongslo says:
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    Our family insurance is going up almost 1,000 more per month in January. It’s BS. We are healthy, don’t smoke, we’re in sports & workout and we will pay in close to 30 grand before our insurance would even cover a doctor’s visit. This is so wrong.

    • November 25, 2015 at 1:41 pm
      Agent says:
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      Heather, yes it is so wrong on so many fronts. The so called smart Progressives will tell you that you are an idiot and it is “working” and to get over it.

      • November 25, 2015 at 1:57 pm
        confused says:
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        and yet there are no posts from anyone who has said anything close to that!

  • November 30, 2015 at 2:19 pm
    FFA says:
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    Oh, and the web site still sucks. Trying to get someone wrapped up and I cant. These people have three kids under 4 yrs old and never got notified that their Medicaid was dropped 11/01 because he started making too much money according to his 3rd q tax payment. No notification from State at all.

    Carrier revolt??? Time for a Citizen revolt.

    • November 30, 2015 at 5:26 pm
      Agent says:
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      FFA, so what else is there to do but apply for Obamacare and get the kids covered under CHIPS? I thought they fixed that Billion dollar website now. Our President said it was as easy as buying on Amazon.com. By the way, Amazon said they were expecting to sell about $3 Billion during the Christmas season. Bad news for the brick and mortar stores.



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