They aren't cutting their own throats. They specifically said that if the Gov't plan didn't pass they'd raise rates. If there is no Gov't insurance they raise rates and win. If there is Gov't insurance they get 50M more customers and win. It's a win-win game for the insurance and drug companies. Welcome to Corporatist America.
The risk didn't increase for the insurance companies from last year to this year and defiantly no 30% to 70% increase in risk.
OMG! Her premium increases and she goes crazy? Like she has some right to tell the company what they should charge? Insurance is optional... that means she doesn't have to buy it. What a bunch of crap. If the premium is too high, shop around or self insure. Most colleges offer health care for students at a very reasonable rate... aren't the kids in school? And in the big scheme of things, even with the increase, the cost of that health insurance is pretty cheap. But, that wouldn't serve her agenda which is to make the insurer look like an evil company that needs to be slapped down with Gov't run care.
It's not about the risks of insured folks actually needing services that change quickly, it's the risks associated with the insurance company's ability to fund future claims from current premiums. It's certainly arguable that insurance companies have, in fact, seen an enormous increase in the risks they're taking on.
If Drs would prescribe natural remedies instead of prescription meds, most people would not get sick.
No, health care insurance is not optional. You <b>must</b> have it. No, she can't shop around and compare plans. She must buy a plan from her home state. You can't join BCBS of Nevada if you live in California. Health insurance is an Oligopoly with massive collusion and government interference. It does not operate on free market principles. Have you checked into what student health plans cover? If you fart too hard and bust a hemorrhoid you've basically used up your life time maximum. Self insure? What fucking planet do you live on?
I think $3 out of every $10 collected in insurance premiums goes to paying for the insurance company to run & take profits. A medicare pay-in model would right off the bat reduce individual health insurance costs by 30%. Add some tort reform and electronic medical record mandating to reduce doctor operating costs ($20k-25k/yr for a malpractice premium for most lower risk specialties). Then get some government mandate going to get rid of the AMA cartel on limiting the # of doctors coming into these professions, allowing medical schools to take more students. Then create a plan where the government gives student loans to an aspiring doctor for medical school that it will forgive when 10 years of service in a government hospital is served. Their salary at the 10 yr service period is capped, but their liability is limited. As well, you can not sue the hospital, as it is government operated. Bad operation, tough luck. The best doctors still differentiate themselves by their service, and can go to a private hospital for "richer" people after 10 years. Make these the only hospitals that expensive categories of care can use (seniors who suck the system dry to live another 6 months, and high risk groups - overweight sedentary, obese, etc who do not fulfill exercise programs). The cost side is contained as the doctors are on a fixed government payroll, and then you know people who don't fulfill a prevention-oriented healthcare routine will have to settle. This way those that just don't take care of themselves are not a financial burden on the rest of society. The wealthy and fat can self-pay outside this system. This way everyone has access to health care, and those who aren't happy with the quality can opt out and self-pay. No reason a fundamental non-bankrupting level of care can't be made available to everyone. I also believe government funded medical research should enable the government to claim patent ownership and creation of any drugs that result be mandated not-for-profit ... Again, keeps drug costs low. Anyone who claims government funded research is inefficient or unproductive is idiotic ... The Internet is a product of government research, etc. There's absolutely no reason public health care needs to be a bankrupting proposition. Any solution should be all about moving health care cost curves to the right, moving health care demand curves to the left, and finding ways to put maximum willingness to pay OUTSIDE insurance systems.
+10 You can tell which full time traders have to pay for insurance out of their pockets and understand their frustration regarding the practical reality of health insurance. If you haven't found out already, you will after trading on your own for a few years. You better hope you can compound over 40-70% a year, if you want to profit above health care premiums (not to mention deductables). Or.. have some steep capital to start out. These ridiculous annual premium hikes are a huge burden to any aspiring trader (or any other self-sufficient professional) who wants to make it on their own.