Harkin asks big health insurers to explain their rate practices

[4dsc]

Source: Des Moines Register

Sen. Tom Harkin said Tuesday he was launching an investigation into health insurance pricing, asking four major insurers to justify their pricing practices.

An industry spokesman called the move unfair and misguided.

Harkin, chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, launched the investigation after small business owners testified before his committee Tuesday that skyrocketing health care premiums were severely hurting their livelihoods.

Harkin sent detailed requests to the four private companies - Aetna, Humana, Wellpoint and UnitedHealth Group - asking them to explain how they set premium rates and to explain the factors used in determining such charges. He asked for responses by Nov. 17.



Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091104/NEWS0...

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If the "industry" is crying over this matter then Harkin must be barking up the right tree..

[Hawkeye-X]

1. Let's see.

95% of the premiums goes directly to lobbying Congress to let HCR die. 4% goes to paying the docs, 1% goes to writing letter saying that your claim has been denied, and must pay out of pocket.

Sound about right?

[Uncle Joe]

9. Some of that goes toward corporate media commercials and advertising. n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

13. 10% goes to executives.

[Captain Hilts]

2. If we're forced to buy from them, then they have to open their books. nt

[nightrain]

3. maybe they use a dart board to determine increases?

[meow2u3]

14. No. They use a three-card monte scam to gamble with our premiums

No wonder they so routinely deny claims. IMO, the entire insurance industry either is a racket in itself or has been taken over by the mob.

[truedelphi]

4. Although I applaud Harkin for doing this, it is very late in the game.

Senate and House leaders should have been having this discussion from Day One, especially since the President has been doing the "Deficit neutral" dance so emphatically.

Now is better than never, but it shows me that this was all a SCAM.

[No Elephants]

7. They should have subpoenaed this info from the jump and built a great case

against the insurers before dribbling just enough info out to the public to have this hit the fan in August.

But, I knew the fix was in when single payer was off the table before Obama even got elected and the health insurers were the first group he met with at the White House about health reform.

The mandates are probably unconstituional, too. A taking of private property for private benefit. However, there is a SCOTUS case that says that's ok, I guess.

We are so screwn, IMO.

Meanwhile, everyone is so busy with health care, no one is paying attention to legislation in Barney Frank's committee that will protect the financial institutions and derivatives even more.

[truedelphi]

15. Your last sentence is scary crazy.

I guess I should just shut up. The medical bankrupcy has pretty much lost us everything, so if i shut up and become an Obama cheerleader, who knows, maybe it would get me some friends.

[No Elephants]

5. What is that POS petition plea in the OP? I thought he DU adbot had its own posts?

Do NOT sign that petition.

[optimator]

6. LOL @ "asking"

where is the DEMANDING?

[BlueIris]

8. Thanks for making the effort, dude. Good luck with that.

Le sigh.

[4_TN_TITANS]

10. I'm getting sick of these little news bites of

so-and-so congressperson's obligatory 'request' into something in the public's interest. I'll be holding my breath for the earth-shattering revelations of how we are being screwn.

[Kingofalldems]

11. Another question: Why do the Blue Dogs always side with them?

[eridani]

12. Hey, Harkin! Quit asking, and start TELLING!

In all countries that have universal health care implemented through regulated private insurance, the governments involved TELL insurers what they can charge.

[truedelphi]

16. Industry response is crazy funny.

Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, said it's wrong to assume that health insurance companies are to blame for skyrocketing premium costs to small businesses.