How exactly do any of these "insurance reforms" help anybody?

[DefenseLawyer]

Unless there are price controls, the whole things seems meaningless. "The insurance company can't drop you" when you get sick, but so what? if they can raise your premiums to $5000 a month when your policy is up for renewal. No one is dropping you, buddy, we are just making some adjustments to your policy in recognition of your increased level of risk. "You can't be denied coverage with a pre-existing condition", of course like that other poor bastard, the premium is $5 grand a month. Buy hey, no one is denying you coverage, you are more than welcome to buy it at the price we deem appropriate. I am admittedly no expert on insurance. What am I missing?

[Lars39]

1. I'd like to know, too

[Captain Hilts]

2. What "important role" do insurance companies play? nt

[eridani]

29. They kill and bankrupt people for profit n/t

[global1]

3. Seems To Me That's Why The Public Option Providing Them Competition......

is so important and much needed in this HCR.

[amandabeech]

15. However, the public option cannot increase the deficit.

It is likely that the public option will insure the sickest people.

Even without having to allocate money to Wall Street, advertising and huge top executive salaries, the public option folks (I'll likely be one of them) will still end up with really large premiums--over $1,000 per month, I would guess--unless there is some subsidy that will not contribute to the debt.

I'll be very glad when I'm old enough for Medicare (which is subsized by payroll taxes and general revenue) and only have to pay a relatively small premium and buy a Medigap policy.

[NoUsername]

23. "It's likely that the public option will insure the sickest people."

That seems to be the plan. As the OP stated, the insurance companies won't be able to drop them but they can force them out by raising the premiums sky-high. Thus anyone with a diagnosis of, say, cancer, would be forced to drop their insurance and go on the public plan. With the public plan insuring the sickest of the sick, without subsidies, premiums will be high. This, of course, will be used as "proof" that those damn Commie-pinko socialized public medicine plans don't work and should just be dropped completely. Seems to me that they're setting it up for failure so that later on down the road they can push for a return to the "free market" where "competition" will ensure everybody gets a fair deal. Er, except when they don't.

I say repeal the tax cuts for the rich and use the additional revenue to subsidize the public option. Of course, that will never happen but that's what I'd like to see.

[amandabeech]

24. I'm with you.

[dflprincess]

18. The public option as described tonight is not going to provide

a whole lot of competition.

[sharesunited]

4. You're not missing a thing. It was a centrist pander and a betrayal.

[mmonk]

5. For one, preexisting conditions.

Insurance companies can't deny your cancer treatment for an undisclosed case of acne for example. And hopefully, maybe finally autism related matters can be covered (fingers crossed). As far as premium costs go, not much I'm afraid. But in a country as f*cked up as ours can be in this area, something is better than nothing and preexisting conditions is a big item.

[NotThisTime]

21. For my daughter and I this is critical, we both have life threatening diseases and are scared

everytime we need treatment, will the insurance pay, will it not? They say they will then they don't, it's completely outrageous. Just horrendous like family's like ours.

[DefenseLawyer]

22. But if we pass a law that says they have to pay

don't you expect that your premiums will have to rise in order for you to remain profitable?

[ixion]

6. yeah: it helps insurance companies

I'm sure they're just giddy at the thought.

[jobycom]

8. Yeah, without at the minimum a stronger public option, this all helps insurance more than us.

From what I've seen, so far, all it does is give the poorest more tax incentives to buy into insurance companies, which will give them more customers at tax payers' expense, and drive prices up further, since if they price the lower incomes out of the market, then taxes will cover the difference.

Insurers are calling real estate agents for those third homes as we speak.

[jannyk]

7. Me and my husband are having the same discussion. We

just said the same as you - no more $5k deductible, instead we'll have $5k a month premiums!!!

There's a lot of meat to be put on them bones yet!!!

[jtrockville]

9. You're forgetting the insurance executives. It will help them A LOT.

People will be mandated to buy their snake oil, at continuously soaring prices.

[ddeclue]

10. +1

[QC]

11. They definitely help the insurance companies. And Mitt Romney is now a prophet.

But as for helping regular folks, no.

[TransitJohn]

12. Silly.

If you're a stockholder, it helps you immensely.

[quiet.american]

13. I heard the word "affordable" many times tonight. I don't think the prez considers $5k affordable.

I will go out on a limb and predict we will not see a healthcare bill where premiums can be raised to $5k. Not because of faith, but because when Obama says let's get it done - affordable healthcare - everyone's covered, cap on premiums, no limits on coverage, he is not talking about $5k/month premiums.

[jwirr]

14. I think if you listen to the speech again that was one of the rules that

would be set up - you could not raise rates on someone simply because they are sick.

[amandabeech]

16. Yes, but when you're forced to get an individual policy and you've BEEN sick ,

you'll still have to pay high premiums, unless the public option is subsidized.

See my post above.

[jwirr]

20. Okay I see what you are saying, We still have some lobbying to do.

[amandabeech]

25. Agreed! n/t

[TorchTheWitch]

31. oh yes they can!

All that was said was that you can't be dropped or have your coverage deminished... he did NOT say they can't raise your premiums. And that is exactly what will happen. They'll raise your rates so high you won't be able to afford the policy and will be forced into the public option/co-op/trigger/whatever... forced to buy another high priced policy you can't afford.

The only price controls would be on out of pocket expenses (ie: deductibles, co-pays, etc.)

[readmoreoften]

17. Not only are you WELCOME to buy the high priced coverage. You'll be forced to.

There is no solution with insurers at the table. We need health care, not health care scams.

[inna]

19. take a look here, we're likely to end up with this atrocity of a reform:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/08/the-bad-max-tax/

(or rather, "an attempt to turn the middle class into serfs to the health care industry".)

[deaniac21]

26. The bait and switch.

[Scarsdale Vibe]

27. Every bill prohbits cost discrimination on age, geographic location, and pre-existing conditions.

So there's your answer, everything posited in your post would be illegal.

[DefenseLawyer]

28. My premiums go up every year

Like clockwork, even without any claims. Will those increases be considered "discrimination"? If not, won't the insurance companies simply find similar "non-discriminatory" ways to raise premiums on what will otherwise be huge money losers?

[eridani]

30. Wrong. Age discrimination is written right into HR 3200. n/t