New Bill Would Raise Rates, Says Insurance Group

[cal04]

Source: Washington Post

Report Issued Before Key Committee Vote

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.

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

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Insurers escalate criticism of health overhaul
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_CARE_OVERHAUL_INSURERS?SITE=MAQUI&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Insurance Industry Assails Health Care Legislation'
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/health/policy/12insure.html

[bluestateguy]

1. I'm confused

I thought we all hated the Backus bill (that's how I pronounce his name, by the way: Backus).

Sooooooo, if that's the case, then maybe we should welcome the insurance industry destroying his bill because they would be doing our work for us? Right? Help?

[Cogito ergo doleo]

5. Agreed- in fact, if we're lucky, the insurance industry will make it

apparent that they, themselves, cannot possibly even be pretended into a health care System.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. What do you expect them to say?

They are using fear tactics to scare us into opposing it.

It's their bread and butter, after all.

[movonne]

3. Well then what about single payer that would solve the problem...

[CC]

4. So in 10 years supposedly my insurance

will double from what I pay now? I'll take it since in the last 10 years it has more than quadrupled. Course I don't believe a thing the insurance companies have to say anyway since they love their profits.

[targetpractice]

6. Screw 'em... They add no value.

I think the administration is holding back, because the health insurance industry needs to go away... And unfortunately, that will cost jobs in the near-term. However, those displaced workers will find new positions adding real value in a healthcare industry (rather than working for the health insurance charade as it is today).

[musette_sf]

7. in other news - New Henhouse Fence Would Harm Chickens, Says Fox

[spoony]

20. excellent! nt

[jmondine]

8. Southern slave owners said the same thing about the price of cotton

[WatchWhatISay]

12. And in the mid 80's when mortgage rates were at 17.5% we were told

that we would likely never see rates below 12% again.

[obliviously]

9. Scrap the bill and start over

and come up with a usable plan next time!

[FrenchieCat]

10. CBO is not longer helpful.....

so now they've hired an outside firm to smear health care reform.
How elementary!

Guess the media will do their part, and act like they don't know what is going on....
again.

[Fearless]

11. FEAR! FEAR!! FEAR!!!

That's it from them. But I'm tired of being afraid. :kick:

[classysassy]

13. FIRE

their enablers,vote out of office every congresscritter that vote against the bill.The critters and their bosses depend on the dumb fox viewers and the dittoheads to derail this bill.

[bkkyosemite]

14. Single Payer now!

[FarLeftFist]

15. Which is why we need a public option...

Then we can move towards single-payer, like a real civilized nation. Our insurance industry seems so archaic and downright evil. Single-payer, problem solved, let's move on. The WH needs to let them know they do not have us by the balls, it should be the other way around. We the people should not even have to fear our govt. let alone a fucking insurance company...Riiiight.

[thelordofhell]

16. This Just In........A cigarette company sponsored survey has found

cigarettes don't cause cancer

[Scarsdale Vibe]

17. The analysis is right about a weak mandate raising premiums.

It's hard to tell how overstated their conclusions about the weak mandate are considering they didn't show how they reached their final numbers. The other issues they raise about rising premiums are dishonest at worst and sloppy, incomplete reasoning at best.

The ideal politically viable final bill will include both a strong mandate and a robust public option, which would obviate the one part of the AHIP analysis that is intellectually honest.

[thelordofhell]

18. Yeah.........It's bullcrap

I just saved you two paragraphs.

[tomm2thumbs]

19. News Flash - Getting Rid of Insurance Companies would LOWER Rates!!!

time for them to put their concerns where their mouth is....

[pleah]

25. +1

[LatteLibertine]

21. Medicare access for all

I'd like to see them do everything these clowns don't want them to do. They need to reduce prescription prices too.

[ixion]

22. insurance companies are the problem

not the solution.

[Kahuna]

23. This is why the PO is needed. If you force insurers to provide coverage

to undesirables and people with existing conditions, OF COURSE, they are going to raise their rates. Duh. I've just been waiting for them to admit it.

[liberal N proud]

24. The White House questioned the timing?

Come on, these greedy bastards are going to do anything they can to destroy any chances of meaningful reform passing.

They are going to float any propaganda be it true or false about any potential legislation passing.


The insurance companies want one thing and one thing only... All our money.






"GREED!"

[Hepburn]

26. Fuck the insurers....

...why in the hell were they included in the discussions to begin with?

It's health CARE reform....not INSURANCE reform. They are not merely part of the problem ~~ they ARE the problem. Fuck them and feed them peanuts.

Get rid of the bastards ~~ it is time, actually well past time, to move on.

[onehandle]

27. I agree that private rates would go up. So seize the Insurance companies and invoke Single Payer.

Do I have to think of everything?

[TacticalPeek]

28. So the insurance industry admits that they cannot control costs.

It must be the compulsion to confess.

[bertman]

29. Can you say "PROPAGANDA"??