Ali Velshi: "Lie! No Federal Boundaries To Selling Health Insurance Across State Lines!"

[TrollBuster9090]

Ali Velshi debunks the most common Republican lie about health insurance. A lie that we've heard from Republican politicians AD f-king NAUSEAM for at least 15 years. The lie that all you have to do to bring down the cost of health insurance is to 'allow HMOs to sell insurance policies across State lines.'

He then goes on to debunk the second most common GOP lie about health insurance. The lie that people from countries with universal, single-payer health insurance hate it, and if they have the money they flood to the U.S. for medical treatment. Canada is often invoked. Velshi, who grew up in Canada debunked that one too.


I have just two things to say about this:

1. Aren't all of you American-born journalists embarrassed that it took a CANADIAN-born journalist to finally debunk the two most common GOP lies about health insurance? Lies that YOU COULD HAVE EASILY FACT-CHECKED, but NEVER BOTHERED TO???

Listen up, journalists: The next time some politician tells you that 'phase three' of the GOP healthcare plan is to lower premium costs by 'allowing HMOs to sell policies across state lines,' your f-ing JOB is to ask "WHAT FEDERAL LAWS ARE PREVENTING THAT, NOW?" GOT IT!?

And...

2. If Canada had had a stupid "Muslim ban" 50 years ago, Velshi would never have been able to immigrate to the west, and be around to do this great journalism. Immigrants make a country STRONGER, not weaker. But then I'm preaching to the choir. We all know that already.

Video 1: Debunking the lie about selling policies across State lines.

Video 2: Debunking the lie about Canadians flooding to the U.S. for treatments they can't get at home.

[Heartstrings]

1. Virtually impossible imo

Having worked in the health insurance industry for two large companies, Blue Cross and WPS, I've always questioned how selling a policy in Idaho would/could cover a person in say, Michigan. It's not as simple as car insurance where you basically have comprehensive and liability with maximum payouts. Health ins policies encompass literally 1000's of procedures, services, equipment, etc., not to mention dr.'s are credentialed per state and are 99% of the time within networks in their immediate locales. Do they plan on lifting the standards for credentials, because malpractice is going to skyrocket...

[azureblue]

12. are you sure you have worked in the HII

because your post illustrates that you have no idea how insurance works. And your points all happen to be the tired GOP talking points.. Coincidence? I think not.

[Heartstrings]

16. Yup

Pretty sure I did work in the HII, do you?

[dchill]

2. K&R.

[mgardener]

3. We did it for years

We lived in Vermont and husband worked in NY. Had NY insurance, had to pay for everything and then apply for reimbursement. Except hospitilization.
Then moved to NY and I worked in VT. Most Dr's just accepted my insurance.
We live on the border of Canada and US.
We did have Canadians come down for cancer treatment several years ago, set up by the local hospital. But it was time limited.
Lots of people go to Canada for dental care and meds, much cheaper then US!

My daughter went to McGill University 10 years ago. For 500.00/ year she got all the medical care she needed including medication.
What is wrong with the US that we cannot figure out how to have affordable health care for everyone?
There was an article yesterday that people with cystic fibrosis live 10 years longer in Canada then US. Better insurance and availability of lung transplants.
Challenge Republicans provide better, cheaper health care!

[DK504]

13. Corporations are set up for profit alone

they aren't set up to actually do the job they claim to.

[DeminPennswoods]

4. FEHB has national plans

The federal employees health benefits program offers both state specific and national plans. National plans means they are sold to federal employees living in every US state. That would be "across state borders".

[dembotoz]

5. An affordable procedure is in network, if that network is 3states away, how does that work

[IronLionZion]

6. They'll just deport Ali Velshi

their standard solution to such problems.

Strangely enough, the GOP health bill doesn't seem to mention anything about selling insurance across state lines.

Maybe we should build a wall on our Canadian border too if so many of those dirty socialists are coming here and stealing our health care.

[Dustlawyer]

7. Story here yesterday on how Canadian Cystic Fibrosis patients live an average of 10 years longer

than those in the U.S. My son died of Cystic Fibrosis and I get sick of hearing that we have the greatest health care in the world! We are not even close. Socialized medicine beats the pants off of our "for profit" system!

[FakeNoose]

17. Single-payer, not socialized medicine

Dustlawyer I'm very sorry what happened to your son, and I agree that our for-profit system is terrible.

So why is Canada's so much better than ours? Because it's a single-payer system, meaning the government pays all the bills and determines the fair cost for each item. There's no profit-taking involved and everyone gets the healthcare they need.

It doesn't help when you call their system "socialized medicine" because too many people hear that term and go crazy.
They stop listening at that point.

Just sayin'

[Dustlawyer]

18. I should have put it in quotes as I mean't to convey that is what the republicans call it.

I was so mad when I read the article I just pounded out my response and hit send. I meant nothing derogatory.

I have been a big supporter of Single Payer, nothing else even makes any sense unless you are a medical corporation who makes huge profits from our current system.

[gibraltar72]

8. Truth is

The whole borders thing is to prevent state insurance commissioners from being allowed to protect their own citizens. Companies will set up in states with little or no supervision I mean Texas. Then sell directly into states that have traditionally had great consumer protection. NY and Mass. have always had robust insurance laws. Choice is code word for substandard policies again being offered. I made my living selling and servicing insurance including health. The market will be flooded with bad policies but people won't know that until they need it and find they have no protection.

[Marcuse]

10. So much for their states' rights and tenth amendment arguments.

[azureblue]

14. wrong

your post is right out of the GOP anti ACA playbook from years ago - a collection of specious scare tactics that begins with a false statement.

[Jim Lane]

20. I think you completely misunderstood gibraltar72's post

You say it "begins with a false statement." Here's how it begins:

The whole borders thing is to prevent state insurance commissioners from being allowed to protect their own citizens.

I take the phrase "The whole borders thing" as meaning "The whole GOP line that we should let insurance companies sell across state borders". In that light, the statement is true.

Right now, a company can't sell in a state unless the company passes muster with that state's insurance regulators. The way to empower them to sell across state lines would be a federal law overriding each state's choice, and providing instead that a company qualified in any one state could sell everywhere. That would mean a race to the bottom in which the nationwide standard is whatever is set by the most corporate-friendly state.

That's exactly what would happen. It's a perfectly valid criticism of this favorite Republican proposal. Exposing it as an anti-consumer sham (not to mention a total betrayal of the GOP's lip service to states' rights) is certainly not anything from the GOP playbook.

[StubbornThings]

9. "Free markets DO NOT reduce premiums"

My favorite line.

[Dorn]

11. No free market systems on earth that works nor on any adjoining planets

I love this guy

[SunSeeker]

15. K & R

[Cryptoad]

19. I like this Jim Jordan ,,,,,,,