Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition

[babylonsister]

Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition

By ROBERT PEAR
Published: November 19, 2008


WASHINGTON — The health insurance industry said Wednesday that it would support a health care overhaul requiring insurers to accept all customers, regardless of illness or disability. But in return, the industry said, Congress should require all Americans to have coverage.

The proposals, put forward by the insurers’ two main trade associations, have the potential to reshape and advance the debate over universal health insurance just as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office.

In separate actions, the two trade groups, America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, announced their support for guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions, in conjunction with an enforceable mandate for individual coverage.

In the absence of such a mandate, insurers said, many people will wait until they become sick before they buy insurance.

Members of Congress said Wednesday that they wanted to pass legislation next year, as proposed by Mr. Obama, to expand coverage and rein in health care costs.

The new position taken by the insurance industry — the industry that helped sink President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health coverage in 1994 — could ease the way for passage of such legislation.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/us/20health.html?_r=1&ref=us

[tnlurker]

1. It looks like they are running scared

Trying to cut a deal before they are completely left out of the picture.

[lovuian]

10. lets see we will give you Diabetics full coverage for say

$10,000 dollars a month and you HAVE to get our insurance its the LAW

[Donnachaidh]

27. they'd offer hemophiliacs double that amount

When children are treated like virtual lepers by the insurance companies it's time to get RID of the insurance companies.

[dkofos]

2. FUCK YOU HEALTH INSURERS

How about we dump you and go straight for HEALTH CARE.

Think of the money we will save!!

[jtrockville]

22. I agree! Health INSURANCE prevents health CARE

Isn't health CARE the goal? Or is profit the goal?

[central scrutinizer]

30. Medicare - 3% administrative costs; Private - 40% administrative costs

It couldn't be simpler than that. Take out the multiple layers of middlemen all taking a cut, take out the need to advertise, take out the need to generate profit and huge bonuses for those at the top, and - voila! - gigantic savings.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

3. Screw the health insurance companies. Universal Single Payer Healthcare!!!

[tavalon]

4. No thanks, we're about to cut you guys out of the profits

I don't know if you heard, but soon you're only going to be providing health insurance for nonessential medical interventions and cosmetic surgery. Buh-bye.

ps For people who are about to get the rug pulled out, you sure are arrogant.

[fed_up_mother]

5. YES! They're running scared, so that means something good is coming!

[tavalon]

6. rec this, would ya? We need a bit of amusement these days.

[marmar]

7. I despise health insurance companies......

..... I think I'll watch "SiCKO" today just to reaffirm how much.

[rateyes]

8. Single payer.

Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer.


In case anyone missed it, I sure hope that we can get a single payer health care system in this country.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. You can say that again!

[rateyes]

13. OK.

Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer. Single payer.

:evilgrin:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

17. rateyes

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

^5

[Cassandra]

11. As long as we're going to have a mandate...

let's just remove the insurance companies from the equation.

[SammyWinstonJack]

28. !!!

:thumbsup:

[TZ]

12. Oh the health insurance people will gladly cover "pre-existing" conditions

Until you actually have to make a claim..then all of a sudden it will be..Thats not covered in your plan! (I have personal experience with this kind of thing)

[rateyes]

15. Exactly. Cover it all, (except elective surgery like face lifts and boob jobs.)

[TZ]

23. And "experimental" drugs like I'm on...

Prescribed by the Mayo Clinic (I've been fighting about this for months).
I think we need to find away to stop insurance companies from playing doctor!

[Liberty Belle]

14. What if you can't afford to buy it? They just want to jack up the rates and

use as an excuse the fact that it will cost them more to cover all those people with preexsiting conditions.

We need caps on healthcare costs, preferably universal healthcare, and a guarantee of free or affordable coverage for low-income people.

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. And who the bloody hell will PAY for mandated coverage?

Will I be thrown in jail if I decide that rent or food are more important than paying for federally mandated health insurance?

[juno jones]

19. A-men

I earn $10 an hour about 30 hrs a week. I cannot afford health insurance and keep a roof and food and transportation to job (graveyard, can't use public transit, must drive.)

Let alone such luxuries as being informed of breaking human events as supplied by the internet.....

edit to add: My yearly costs doctor-wise are usually less than $500 a year.

[nichomachus]

18. This is great

SO now all the people who have to decide between buying food or paying the electric company to keep the lights on won't have to make that decision any more.

They won't have any money to spend on either. Problem solved. And, they won't have any money to spend on co-pays either. So, no tough decisions to make.

Win-win-win

:sarcasm:

[OneBlueSky]

20. the way to reform healthcare is to take the insurers and the HMOs out of the system . . .

and save the hundreds of billions of dollars in corporate profits, advertising, and CEO salaries and perks that they bleed out of it . . .

a single payer plan -- e.g. extending Medicate coverage to everyone -- would probably end up being less costly and certainly far more efficient than the "competitive" system we have now . . .

[seafan]

21. Health insurance companies bite and claw for themselves, and no one else.

Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition

By ROBERT PEAR
November 19, 2008

WASHINGTON — The health insurance industry said Wednesday that it would support a health care overhaul requiring insurers to accept all customers, regardless of illness or disability. But in return, the industry said, Congress should require all Americans to have coverage.

.....

The new policy statements are silent on two important issues: how to enforce an individual mandate and how to regulate insurance prices, or premiums.

While insurers would be required to sell insurance to any applicant, nothing would guarantee that consumers could afford it. Rate regulation promises to be a highly contentious issue, since it pits the financial interests of insurers against those of consumers.

At present, insurance premiums are generally regulated by the states and often vary according to a person’s age, sex, medical history and place of residence within a state. In the individual market in most states, a person with a history of serious or chronic illness can be charged much more than a healthy person of the same age and sex.

Mr. Hamm, a member of the board of America’s Health Insurance Plans, said the group might offer recommendations to define “a fair and appropriate rating structure.”

.....

Insurers did not say how the government should enforce an individual mandate: whether through fines, tax penalties or other means. Politicians have also been reluctant to specify details of enforcement, which could prove highly unpopular.

.....

We need to surgically remove private insurance companies from the health care of Americans. We demand universal, single payer (the US Government) health care for all. Health care providers would submit their claims directly to the government for payment.


The insurance companies are screaming now because there is a rising swell of public discussion about how they rip off people by denying health care for any number of infuriating reasons. Hiring teams of staff specifically tasked to search for reasons to deny patients' claims is beneath contempt.


As we have seen, as long as private insurance companies care most about their own bottom lines, they will never feel the need to deviate from that mindset.



Health care is a basic right of all Americans. Take the *private profit* out of it.


Single payer, universal health care for all.

[FormerDittoHead]

24. Perhaps the only silver lining in all of the others Republican clouds have given us...

After all of the shit that Bush is going to leave on Obama's door, after the 2-3 years before we'll be able to even hope of being able to dig ourselves out of, our economy will be so worthless, people will be so unemployed, houses empty and unbuilt, businesses will be so bankrupt, and with all of the states and municipalities out of money having to pay for rebuilding infrastructure, we won't have ANY money left over to continue shoveling it to the insurance companies.

We'll be left with NO CHOICE than to ACTUALLY FACE this problem and make the DECISIONS needed to SAVE THE MONEY that these companies are making from withholding medical services...

After the banks, the auto companies (and what's next?), no one will have any sympathy left over for the insurance companies who, except for their investors and employees, really don't make anyone happy anyway. (the other shoe to drop will be the military - watch out, Lockheed)

We will look back upon the health insurance companies the same way we look upon the robber barons of the late 1800's, and TRY to learn the lesson of what happens when powerful interests control government...

[Raster]

25. No conditions! We have long since been used and abused by the insurance parasites.

It's time for them to go! Single payer healthcare is the ONLY way to go. The heathcare insurance companies are bleeding this country dry.

[Bluenorthwest]

26. Damn

I am begining to feel like my family will never survive this next round. this would be the last straw for us.

[tpsbmam]

29. Note that they don't say one damn thing about what they'd charge people...

with preexisting conditions. Sounds like when pushed one board member said

the group might offer recommendations to define “a fair and appropriate rating structure.”

What a load of crap. Single payer is the only way we'll get a "fair and appropriate rating structure" -- these people are crooks, always have been and always will be. Most of them are for-profit and their allegiance is to their fat cats & shareholders, not with people who actually pay a small fortune for their crappy insurance.