Honest question: Does anyone actually *like* their for-profit health insurance company?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

I know people like their medical providers that they have. I know people like the concept that they ostensively have health care coverage.

But I just don't see people getting the warm fuzzies over BCBS or the like.

The fact is, for-profit health insurance is a racket. It's always been a racket. Long before the ACA was ever enacted, it was a racket. They gladly take your premiums, and then find any way possible to deny your claims.

At best, most people may tolerate their for-profit insurer. I suspect very few actually like it.

[bemildred]

1. I have Medicare, I like it. nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. My dad actually loves Medicare compared to his old for-profit.

Says it is a whole lot easier in terms of processing claims. No major delays of paperwork.

[bemildred]

9. It's very good, all you have to worry about is whether the Doc is on board too.

We're going to have to forgive a lot of their debts for schooling, you know, when we go to single-payer. They'll never pay it all, once the profiteering is stopped.

[Cleita]

10. Me too, however, my medigap insurance not so much.

I would be happy to give Medicare what I give them to get full coverage and if they threw in dental and pharmacy I would be ecstatic. I believe they could do that and a gym membership with what I have to pay the insurance company and have change left over.

[bemildred]

12. I don't give them a nickel.

The last thing you want is some bureaucratic tool meddling with your care. I have a cheap Part D policy, and A and B. But I have no regular preseciptions and nobody monitors me (edit: medically, I mean). My wife gets some semi-expensive stuff, but she goes to Canada for it.

I don't know your situation, maybe you need what you have, but I'd look around.

[tridim]

2. I like BCBS because they keep sending me 80/20 law rebate checks. nt

[Puzzledtraveller]

4. Not really

and I do not have a choice as a state employee. We have one provider.

[SoCalDem]

5. Probably not.. and most people have NO control over which coverage they get

If you get it through work, you are often limited to PPO or the HMO offered.

That's how we ended up with Kaiser.

For 32 years we had a variety of coverage, but ALL of them used (or allowed us to choose) the Clinic/hospital doctors we had for THIRTY TWO YEARS, and then the company decided that Kaiser worked better for them (costwise) so we could either go 80/20 & stay where we felt "at home", or we could switch to Kaiser and have cheaper premiums & "more" coverage. We were more or less forced (financially) to go with Kaiser. (hate hate hate it)

In April when I turn 65 & my husband can retire we are so looking forward to being on medicare and getting rid of Kaiser...finally !!!

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. When I had coverage with BC/BS, I loved it. Never denied. Full coverage, etc.

But my absolute favorite insurance company was HAP (health alliance plan) back in the 90s.

[Tikki]

7. I do not...

kp



Tikki

[seabeyond]

8. about a decade or more ago i did. oh, and in the 80s with coca cola paying insurance, you betcha.

today? literally being fucked for a whole lot of money out.

[ancianita]

11. Corporations are not to "like." A better question is "What do you like/dislike about your insurer?"

I don't like my insurer. I like the business system of direct services that they pay for when I need them. I like the healthcare professionals that give me direct contact, from the hospital meal server to the doctors caring for me. So far, they've come through. My husband's on Medicare, which has paid for his recent quadruple bypass surgery and rehab.But in our pre-Medicare days, our insurers still came through with coverage -- except for x-rays, for who-knows-what reason. Being in a large pool of premium payers helped.

Run poorly, insurance is a racket. I worked for an insurance broker in downtown Chicago who once told me that, himself, right around the time he was sub-contracted to "sell" the aspartame "studies" from Searle to the feds.

I love everyone in hospital work. Health care direct service people are special people in this world, who know how to alleviate our suffering and fears of ill health, disability and death. They provide what money and insurers can't buy. Dignity, hope and humorous, kind, intensely focused caring. I love these people.

But the concept of pooled liability is a civilized one. The odds of getting cushioned from life's blows lie with the participants when law and order demand fair regulation and maintenance of coverage. This, it seems to me, is what we're striving for -- to tame what could easily become a racket back to living up to its original ethic.

[NRaleighLiberal]

13. No. We have United Health Care - not at all thrilled with it.

But I am a retiree and this is what our company offers...

[PeteSelman]

14. Personal Choice is pretty good.

I never think about things like this.

[sinkingfeeling]

15. I really appreciated the service I got from my insurer (QualChoice/employer-provided)

when I was dealing with my cancer and ensuing problems that happened due to treatment. They assigned a case worker who was in constant contact with me and was able to get the insurer to pay for dental issues from jaw bone deterioration.

Hated all but one of my doctors and will never step foot in the local hospital again!

[Nye Bevan]

16. Meh. I think trying to screw you is part of their business plan.

The trick is to always fight back by appealing and then complaining to the state insurance dept. I find that when you fight back they cave every single time. I guess their profit comes from people who meekly accept their rulings.

Of course, it's stupid that such an inhumane and arbitrary system exists.

[JustAnotherGen]

17. Nope

I don't have warm fuzzies, I don't get a 'choice' -


I have employer insurance so I like it or I lump it.

[fizzgig]

18. i didn't have a choice with my employer sponsored plan

but i get great coverage through bcbs and have never had any problems.

[madrchsod]

20. i had great coverage with bcbs but...

they started delaying payments to my hospital and they started sending letters. i called the billing dept and they told me bcbs was delaying their payment to them .it used to be with a month but two to three months was the average. they told me to ignore the letters.

no problems with medicare.

[madrchsod]

19. no...single payer-medicare is the only answer

no more beg- a-thons for people with catastrophic illness.

[peace13]

21. NO...small business here..three people and premiums equal $2600.00 a month set to go up...

$400.00 a month next year but.... if I sign on now they will cap the cost at $3000.00 a month for 2014. But get this...I have to start paying the higher premium in December, 2013 even though my renewal is not until February of 2014. These folks are evil.

This is bliss!

[displacedtexan]

22. After decades of 100% coverage by the employer, I was skeptical of Kaiser Permanente.

But after a year now with a $10 co-pay and amazing service, I have to say that i love it! Prescriptions are $5; there's little to no waiting; I email my physician & he replies within hours; I phone the nurse practitioner if I have a question; and there's even a free shuttle to the medical campus across town, where my doctor is located.

And yes, K-P assures us that our coverage will increase, but our cost will not, in January. I would say that we're lucky to have such a strong union with great negotiators, but luck has nothing to do with it. I worked in a union school district for 25 years, and my husband works in one now. I grew up in a union household, and I love the security. But that's just my story, and maybe it's not the norm. I wish it was this good for everyone!

[OmahaBlueDog]

23. For the most part, yes.

Oddly, you would pick the week I'm having an argument with them over a prescription.

I will add this: due to a circumstance beyond my control, I had to switch from an HMO to a PPO with the same company. Yes, it costs more. Quite a bit more, actually. However, being able to skip having to get approval from a "Primary" to see a "Specialist" is a very good thing. Even better is that I get seen pretty quickly for well-visits. Docs deny this, but in my HMO experience, planning a routine visit, like a physical, needed to be done 6 weeks + in advance. Now, I pretty much get seen the same week.

I somewhat disagree with your "racket" premise. I don't see the health insurance carriers as being more culpable in the excesses of for-profit culture than the doctors, hospitals, DME leasing companies,and specialized service providers.

[badtoworse]

24. I'm happy with mine