Wendell Potter:Insurers press for high-deductible low benefit policies (copper plan)

[antigop]

http://wendellpotter.com/2014/10/health-insurers-press-for-high-deductible-low-benefit-policies/

The law now prohibits insurers from selling coverage that doesn’t pay at least 60% of a policyholder’s medical bills (the bronze plans on the health insurance exchanges), and sets a limit on the deductibles and total out-of-pocket expenses.

Insurers are lobbying hard behind the scenes to get lawmakers to change the law to let them sell meager policies again, and they’ve turned to Democrats in red and purple states for help.

Earlier this year, Senators Mark Warner of Virginia and Mark Begich of Alaska, both Democrats who are in tight re-election contests, introduced a bill to enable insurers to sell “copper” plans that would pay only 50% of policyholders’ medical expenses.

As you can imagine, the legislation almost certainly was written by insurance industry lobbyists. The industry’s top lobbyist, in fact, has been championing the idea for a long time. Last April, Karen Ignagni, who heads America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), floated the idea during a C-SPAN interview in Washington.

Just days before Ignagni made those remarks Politico published a column penned by Warner and Begich, along with their Senate colleagues Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Independent Angus King of Maine, which argued for allowing copper plans to be sold. While I’m sure the authors would never admit it, I’d be willing to bet it was written with more than a little help from their friends at AHIP.

[OhioChick]

1. "the legislation almost certainly was written by insurance industry lobbyists"

Imagine that!

[antigop]

2. and the Dems are complicit. nt

[OhioChick]

3. They most certainly are n/t

[Wellstone ruled]

4. What a bunch of sick licks.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Do the bronze plans

let people set up their own HSA's?

If so, those are good deals for healthier individuals. I'm 58, and I've been going for high-deductible, low premium insurance for most of the past few years, all the while piling money into an HSA. I only have one medical problem, requiring one drug that I buy from a Canadian pharmacy for way cheaper than it would be through my insurance, and by the time I retire, I'm going to have a nice chunk of change stashed away for my old age health needs.

If only I could have started this while I was in my 20's or 30's.