Depressed, my health insurance premium just increased by $101.00. Cigna sucks. nt

[mfcorey1]

[dkf]

1. A month? Wow.

[mfcorey1]

2. yep, retired, only one on policy. Now $632.00 a month.

[dkf]

4. That is a mortgage in some areas.

Nobody can retire until the reach Medicare age.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. that's too bad.

:-(

[Posteritatis]

7. Augh, that's obscene. (nt)

[shraby]

3. You on Medicare yet?

[mfcorey1]

5. In two years.

[RebelOne]

10. But you will still have to pay for Medicare.

It is not free. I pay $110 a month and it just covers the basics.

[ellenfl]

8. i thought competition in the private market was supposed to keep costs down? eom

[Selatius]

15. There is no competition. In many states, typically a few large firms dominate the market.

They were exempt from anti-trust law during the Great Depression--I believe--as part of the compromise between those who wanted health insurance reform and those opposed. The deal was that the exemption would be given with the understanding that states would regulate local health insurance providers. Typically, states do not, right-wing states anyway.

The effect is that cartels are created, and because the large firms simply want profit and not competition, they collude on pricing structures and barriers to entry for the particular market. Of course, out-right collusion is illegal, but proving it in a court of law is much more difficult.

[ellenfl]

16. i was being facetious. ;-} private entities want monopolies, not competition. eom

[lonestarnot]

9. Yes it does.

[Odin2005]

12. By denying people care.

[lovuian]

11. have you thought about living out of the country for two years

and live where you can get better healthcare than here for less money

[sherkoch]

13. My insurance went up by $55

I feel for you.

And I am not even with Cigna, it is Blue Shield of California.

This is supposed to be a non-profit!

I wonder what is going on? It seems to be bigger than Cigna/Blue Shield.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

14. Welcome to DU!

I have BCBS of NC... feel yer pain!

[Edweird]

17. But... but... Obama fought to maintain the private insurance system.

[nobodyspecial]

18. I have no health insurance

If anything happens, I'm just going to let myself die. Reduce the excess population and all that.