What does Aetna's Ron Williams mean by "slow down the rate of increase in health care

[patrice]

services"?

http://vvi.onstreammedia.com/cgi-bin/visearch?user=pbs-newshour&template=play220asf_noprefs_ws.html&query=AETNA&squery=%2BClipID%3A3+%2BVideoAsset%3Apbsnh081809&inputField=undefined&ccstart=1014397&ccend=1582057&videoID=pbsnh081809

Can we just brainstorm that for a while? I know it means reduce the costs of health care services and I know Teabaggers think that means put a stop to free scooters for everyone, but what else could it mean - EXACTLY:

[John Q. Citizen]

1. Isn't Aetna working with Obama to pass the insurance bailout plan? He said that in Montana.

[patrice]

7. Judy Woodruff mentioned that RW has met with our President.

RW does affirm in this interview that the goal is to get those individuals who are not covered covered. His second point is about how that must happen by reducing the rate of health services, which seems to me to teetotally exclude ANY expansion in services to the preventative and complementary health services that lots of people are hoping for. That said, some service cost cutting is not un-reasonable, but the devil is in those details, not to mention de-facto death panels for granny.

RW briefly and indirectly alluded to the costs of being in the health insurance business in 50 DIFFERENT states.

[patrice]

17. Oh Yeah! Notice from what RW says, the end of Pre-Existing Conditions is a DONE DEED, that's importa

nt because that card is no longer in their hand.

They can NO longer use that one as a carrot to win concessions from us on other issues.

When they say "No more pre-existing conditions," we say "So what. That's a Given."

[Kansas Wyatt]

2. They are too pissed off that somebody else may be helped...

The same way they would be helped.

They are bat shit loony and are obsessed with keeping others down, even if it means cutting their own throats.

[patrice]

9. With not so fond memories of the Derivatives market and Hedge Funds, it IS interesting to think what

Ins Co financing must be like.

What happens to guys like RW when they don't deliver for Wall Street?

[Kansas Wyatt]

12. Sorry, I was referring to the Teabaggers.

Those in the Insurance Industry should die a slow painful death, then burn in Hell, because that is exactly what they deserve. They are Death Merchants that deny and hinder Health Care.

[JerseygirlCT]

3. I think it means he's willing to be slightly less greedy if it

gets the idea of public healthcare off the radar.

[patrice]

11. He also objects to a Referee in this interview with JW.

His studied avoidance of the word co-ops is pretty interesting.

We need to be asking our elected representatives what reducing "the rate of health services" concretely means to me and you.

[JerseygirlCT]

14. That sounds pretty clear to me - less covered

more money for them. Especially if they can avoid any public option and demand mandatory insurance for all individuals...

[Oregone]

4. It means it will still increase

Though I'm not a teabagger

So if they reduce the rate of increase 2%, instead of costs increasing 155 billion next year, it will be 151 billion (added to the current 2.5 trillion). The spending levels after a year will be at 99.849% of what they would be otherwise. Over some period of time, we are supposed to be impressed and suck health insurers cock


On Edit: while it saves with sloppy math a quarter of a trillion over a decade, thats .6% of the total spent (negligible). The difference before and after the deal is less than 1.2%. Considering single-payer would save 4 trillion in the same time period, this is a sad joke. You are the punchline

[patrice]

13. So who decides what service related charges go into that 2%?

[Nite Owl]

5. Instead of raising rates

by 20% they will only raise them by 18%.

[Oregone]

6. Not quite

First, costs rise 6.2% a year on average. That aside, it will be current rates * 1.062 * .98 (which is different that what you suggest)

[baldguy]

8. You still pay more, but they give you even less.

[patrice]

10. It'd be funny that Teabaggers want to do business ONLY with these guys, because gubmint will

ruin their health care, if it weren't so sad for the rest of us.

[baldguy]

15. They're the biggest fools on the planet Earth.

They're worried about a big bureaucracy coming between them & their doctor. THAT'S WHAT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE!

They want to be able to choose their own doctor. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES DON'T LET THEM DO THAT!

They're worried about keeping the cost of health care down. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES KEEP IT ARTIFICIALLY HIGH!

They want to keep America's legendary high quality health care. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES KEEP IT LEGENDARY! LIKE UNICORNS & HONEST REPUBLICANS!

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[suffragette]

16. I think he does really mean "services" there rather than cost

In the transcript at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec09/health_08-18.html
he distinguishes between the two, though he doesn't elaborate on the services part:

"But fundamentally, the answer to your question is, we have to control the rate of increase in health care costs. And a lot of the dialogue is about insurance reform, which is one important element, particularly for the individual and small group market, but the other important element is really making certain we focus on slowing down the rate of increase in health care services."

To me, that is reading that slowing down health care services is one way he thinks costs can be cut.


Upon further searching on Aetna, found this:
http://www.insurancenewsnet.org/html/BreakingNews/2009/0805/Aetna-28-Percent-Profit-Drop-Signals-Storm-Clouds-for-Healthcare.html

On July 27, 2009 Aetna Inc., one of the largest health insurers in America, announced a 28 percent drop in profit for Q 2 2009.

Mark Bertolini, Aetna's president, attributed the loss to "higher claim intensity, such as services rendered in a higher cost setting and more tests and procedures per visit, resulting in higher costs for emergency room, ambulatory, laboratory and preventive services." "We are taking immediate actions to address these issues," Bertolini added.

Seems to me to be coming from the moral-hazard point of view - great article on that here:http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/08/29/050829fa_fact

[patrice]

18. It struck me as a very odd phrasing. My late husband was a corporate attorney.

It's ALL about word choice, every - last - damned - bit - of - it.

Read RW's face too. He is quite tense, no way he said anything that was casual or without purpose.

[suffragette]

20. I agree it's very purposeful phrasing

Just as his dodge when asked about why insurance companies are afraid of having a public option.

[patrice]

21. Right on! Very dodgy that. Did you watch his face? Doin' odd bits with his mouth when he'd finish

saying something.

[patrice]

22. Of course, I'd be real nervous too, what with being caught between his financiers and all of the

crazies who have been stirred up lately by Faux Views. I'd be worried for him if he were filthy rich.

[patrice]

19. I think he's also VERY afraid of expansion in services to include Preventative and Complementary

Medicine.

Can you imagine what would happen if groups like the nation's chiropractors and nutritionists got organized and started to push for inclusion in our coverage?

:wow: :wow: :wow:

I hope Dr. Dean is courting the country's chiropractic colleges and such.

[suffragette]

23. He's clearly talking about cutting services rather than increasing them

And I agree with your take about his likely fearing about expanding preventative and complementary medicine.

He's all about maximizing numbers, both people enrolled and profits, while limiting care.

I'm in one of the non-profit co-op plans being discussed a bit now and am so happy it includes self-referral to acupuncturists. It's made all the difference in the world when I've had sinusitis. I go to her first now when I have a bad cold to try to keep it from reaching that stage.

[patrice]

26. I am becoming more certain that you are right. It just occurred to me that what he said was a THREAT

What better way to telegraph to all of Congress a warning to keep them off of his turf?

Exactly right, he was talking about cutting the health care services that insurance covers. Somehow, I don't think he was just referring to doctors prescribing Viagra.

[suffragette]

28. If you haven't read the New Yorker article I linked to above,

be sure to do so.
Although from 2005, it provides so much insight into the thought process behind statements like his and why that's the wrong approach.

His fear of a public health option was definitely a driving force. He was trying to steer discussion back to cost and enrollment as much as possible, to make the discussion insurance-centric rather than care -centric.

[patrice]

30. Thanks for the reference. I'll put it on my desktop.

:hi:

[suffragette]

32. Great

Let me know what you think.


:hi:

[Imalittleteapot]

24. Aetna doubled my premium to over $1000 per month.

They denied diagnostic procedures, one because the appointment date was changed by me and the radiologist didn't get pre-approval for the date change. That cost me $1600. All in all, with Aetna coverage, my out of pocket expenses in 2007 were nearly $20,000. Who can afford that?

In Texas we got tort reform with the promise that our health care premiums would not rise and all we have seen is huge increases, for the healthy as well as the sick.

[suffragette]

29. That's terrible

Callous jerks.


:hug:

[Cleita]

25. I wonder if in that slowdown, he's willing to slowdown the rises in

premiums and administrative costs as well? Ah so much double speak and so little time to keep up with them.

[Canuckistanian]

27. Are they going to let more people die?

That would sure "slow down" the rate of health care increase.

[patrice]

31. Magic word there "let". Plausible deniability is a HIGHLY marketable commodity. nt

[DU GrovelBot]

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