Will universal health care destroy the health insurance industry?

[liberaldemocrat7]

The health insurance industry appears quite capable of destroying itself and the middle class.

I will give you history. The banks and the stock market destroyed themselves in 1929 and the great depression occurred. The Democratic party does not destroy industries. The industries apear quite capable of destroying themselves and the middle class and the poor even as far back as 1929.

FDR and the Democratic party saved capitalism. FDR and the Democratic party saved the Banking industry and the stock market.

Today's health insurance industry appears quite capable of destroying the middle class. I'm seeing it right now. A friend of mine had to sell his home because he had cancer. He lost a lot of weight and never gained it back and still needs expensive treatment that meant that he could not afford to keep his home. He sold it in July 2007. He now waits in another state with a relative waiting while his name apears on a waiting list for inexpensive housing.

You DLC and corporatists and Hillary supporters would just ignore this problem.


"Hey Hey Hey DLC how many middle class homeowners have lost their homes today?"

So just as the importance of an industry what about the middle class that appears to get destroyed in 2007 because Hillary's supporters want the system to still get run by health insurance companies where you still have premiums, deductibles, copays which many middle class people might not afford if they get cancer or another devastating disease that costs them a lot of money over a long period of time.

The Health insurance industry has helped companies like Century 21 and Coldwell banker, and other real estate brokers, etc. with their insistance that the system stay as it appears now. I imagine the health insurance companies have helped morticians, coroners, funeral directors and cemeteries as well, financially.

[and-justice-for-all]

1. I hope it does..nt

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. Me too (eom)

[focusfan]

14. Me too

[hedgetrimmer]

25. ditto! n/t

[cyclezealot]

2. Like half all US bankruptacies are caused by medical bankruptacy.

Hillary is such a pawn. All those for that fact who think the medical insurance industry let the government restrain their 25% plus administration costs. That is the cash cow that causes American's to lack proper health care. No change for the better is not possible without cutting into that graft. If the government did, the Insurance industry would not care to be in the business. Hillary care is either naive or a total scam in order to get Hartford's campaign cash that so enriches her campaign coffers. If it's not single payer its not a solution to the missery the American public faces.

[luckyleftyme2]

3. EXACTLY

Call it what you may,it needs to be non-profit,cover all and either be govt financed or price controlled.
canada,united kingdom.france,and most of the free world cover the medical care of its people.
when business did it we had 90% our people covered. that was when over 90% of our businesses were american owned. that no longer is the case,many businesses today are internationally owned or controlled. And forigners don't pay for health care benefits in their country so thats the first thing to go.
WE NEED UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ALL NOW!

[annabanana]

5. We do NOT need "universal health insurance" for all..

Exactly wrong.

We need UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL. NOW

[Vinca]

10. And most of the bankruptcies are people WITH insurance.

There wasn't one bankruptcy or loss of home in Canada for medical bills.

[kineneb]

19. that is why we filed

Hubby has renal failure, and is on dialysis... don't need to say more.

[flordehinojos]

4. GOOD! it should. i do so hope it does!

[undeterred]

6. The least of my worries.

[ileus]

7. beyond a shadow of a doubt it will...

If current Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement are any indication Hospitals will lose millions and the government will have to take them over or they’ll close within a year. At least that’s the outlook at my hospital where 80% of our patients are already covered by these two programs. When you add 50% more patients at the same rate of reimbursement we’ll sink quick.
When peeps start coming in for the sniffles and flu and minor crap they normally go to wally world to “cure” it’ll be all over.

[porphyrian]

9. I'd be OK with it. - n/t

[flashl]

11. destroy the health insurance industry?

I would welcome the day.

[iamjoy]

12. Health Insurance & Life Insurance

health insurance companies may be helping the funeral business, but not the life insurance business.

:think:

We ought to require health insurance and life insurance to be bundled together. The lifetime maximum on the health insurance should be no more than the life insurance benefit. Then, the health insurance companies would have a financial interest in making sure their participants got the proper care.

Let's beat 'em at their own game.

[madmom]

13. one can only hope!

[papau]

15. I agree re Ins companies - but Hillary scares them with "Medicare-like" public policy alternative -

your rant against Hillary and her supports needs some other idea -

the health care idea by Hillary is a winner - and indeed may doom her as the insurance companies say thanks but no thanks to the prospect of 47 million new customers and instead "fight for their lives" against this back door - a single payer plan that gets put in front of every American as one of the choices as to where to get coverage.

The health insurance companies will always be with us since any public policy coverage provided will have some limits (cost is always a consideration, as well as the question as to the public health need for certain procedures), so there will be "supplemental health coverage policies" - as there are with Medicare - that add better coverage/more coverage - but at a very high price.

[CTyankee]

34. I totally agree with you. HC's plan is brilliant in that regard (needs help in other areas).

This way, when private insurance companies try to compete and fail, she can say, "Well, they had their chance in the free market and people chose Medicare." The RW can hardly come back whining that they didn't have a chance to compete!

[Clark2008]

16. My husband works in the insurance industry (all-be-it auto/home)

and even HE thinks it's time for single-payer.

[and-justice-for-all]

17. the only ones losing anything to Socialized Health Care...

would be Health Insurance Companies :nopity: and the American would win hands down.

So, the only ones standing in the way to proper health care is Insurance Companies and their goon lobbyist. Now, the right thing to do is to make this happen, Medicaid is the tool to do this.

Can someone explain to me this phobia of Socialism that seems to plague us?

[stimbox]

18. Me too. n/t

n/t

[stlsaxman]

20. Absolutely! And good riddance to bad rubbish.

Maybe if we brought back prohibition organized crime might have better things to do than continue running the insurance industries.

[davekriss]

21. Hope so (nt)

[warren pease]

22. And I want to be there with the mallet to drive the stake...

...through their miserable hearts, although I doubt you could find them without the help of a geologist.

And then for good measure I'd like to have the honor of severing their heads so they can never, ever rise from the grave to prey on the innocent again.

Special treats reserved for top execs, major shareholders, their lobbyists and their shills in congress. Send the lot of them to Abu Ghraib and let the games begin.

Other than that, I'm sure they're really, really fine people.


wp

[DaveJ]

23. The consensus says 'yes'

Edit: That is contingent on whether Universal (single payer) Healthcare will ever be passed, and I doubt it.

[bemildred]

24. I sure hope so. nt

[Zhade]

26. Here's hoping!

NT!

[AdHocSolver]

27. Good riddance! However, the problems go beyond the insurance industry. Read on.

Hospital costs are way out of line. Hospitals are nowadays run by bean counters who are more interested in maximizing profits than they are in maximizing health care services. Every week we get mailings from several hospitals in our area extolling the virtues of their staffs and their services. These are fancy, full-color glossy booklets, that outdo the ads we get from new car dealers.

These costs are covered by your health insurance. No one in their right mind should ever get unnecessarily involved with ANY hospital. As many as 80,000 unnecessary deaths occur in hospitals every year due to errors, untreatable infections, risky and unnecessary procedures all to boost the bottom line. Nurses and residents are worked to the bone, priorities are screwy and often are irrelevant to good health care.

Competition among hospitals in health care consists of building a new patient care facility next to an already existing hospital or clinic in order to steal patients away, not because of any community need. All of this drives up health care costs.

Why does this go on? Why do insurance companies willingly pay outrageous fees for services? The insurance companies, hospitals, and drug companies are owned by the same investment companies. When they pay that patently outrageous hospital bill they are essentially paying themselves. The same goes for drugs. That is why there is the "doughnut hole" in Medicare Part D drug coverage.

A single payer system could demand accountability of hospitals and drug companies. It goes beyond just negotiating prices. A single payer system with independent medical oversight (that is, a staff of experienced doctors and nurses monitoring what hospitals do) could investigate over-charges, unnecessary procedures, and quality of service.

Hospitals and clinics included in the investment portfolio of the insurance company they deal with can expect fairly quick reimbursement. Independent health care providers can wait weeks to get reimbursed and are even then nickeled-and-dimed.

[Hekate]

28. We can only hope. nt

[area51]

29. kick (n/t)

[Vinca]

30. I hope so - they've milked us dry and should have plenty of cash

to live on for awhile. By the way, my brother is someone who got fired because he didn't deny enough care.

[LWolf]

31. One can hope.

The people who work in the industry can find employment, depending on their skills, in the administering of a national health care plan, or in other insurance industries.

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. I hope so. nt.

[The2ndWheel]

33. We haven't even had to start dealing with the problems of an aging population

That's when the fun starts. Not just here, but first in Europe.