Response to what I wrote in the comments section to local story about Health Care.

[RC]

What I wrote:

"Tom B. - You are willing to pay obscene health insurance premiums so the health insurance companies can send their upper management, sales force and their mates to world class resorts almost yearly on your dime? North Dakota Blue Cross/Blue Shield does that. This last time it cost their subscribers over $270,000 that should have gone toward paying claims. And they did it while asking for a 17.3% rate increase. Why are we not out in the streets with pitch forks and torches? ~~
ND BC/BS is a Non-Profit company and their profits by law are to be plowed back into the operation of the company. BC/BS of ND does not return the profits back into the operations. They operate as if they were a For-Profit company, but pay taxes as a Non-Profit. ~~
They are guilty of refusing proper clams, violating contracts and dropping people just for getting sick. Can you say "Fraud"? The nations health insurance companies are paying out 1.3 million dollars a day for TV/Radio ads, lobbing and out right bribes to our Congress critters. That is money, that if they had their customer health and well being in mind, would be going out to paid clams and lower premiums. And we would not be having this discussion because it would not be needed. ~~
Let us not forget the very high salaries and obscene bonuses BC/BS pays their upper management. People are going bankrupt. Peoples live are at stake. People are dying because of the greedy business practices of the health insurance companies in this country. How can you or anyone defend that? How can the government do worse for us? How can government run health care NOT cost us less? Sure you taxes will go up, but it will be more than offset by not paying obscene premiums to the health insurance companies. That means more money in your pocket and better peace of mind also."



The Response:

"You apparently assume that a government run health care program would have no overhead. My guess is the administrative costs would be much greater for a government run program than it would be for BCBS. If BCBS operates as a for-profit, who gets the profits of the company. How can I invest in this for-profit venture? A government run program would give me "better peace of mind"? If BCBS is denying claims they should be paying, you can always go to a court of law with a grievance. Once the government starts denying you care, where do you go then? I'd sleep much better knowing I had private insurance which must follow the law and compete with other insurance companies than having government coverage where they not only set the rules, but are the only player. The referee of the game should not also be a player. I'd like to see the government create an unsubsidized insurance provider and have them compete in the market before taking over the whole industry. We could then see how efficient and customer friendly they are before they have a monopoly."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I don't even know where to start here. This guy clams to be a successful business man.
But I wonder how he materialized in this dimension?

[baldguy]

1. Govt run healthcare in the US runs a 3-5% overhead.

Private run healthcare runs a 10-15% overhead, plus another 20-30% profit on top of that.

Ask his what the overhead rate & profit margin for his business is. And when was the last time Medicare or the VA denied anyone care?

[Atticus]

2. Canada's system spends just 1% on overhead---

---compared to 31% for US insurance companies. Basically, insurance companies spend 30 cents of each dollar to determine who is covered (actually, most is spent trying to find a way to avoid paying). In Canada, everyone is covered.

Good article about other "myths" about Canada's plan: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_12523427