Letters To The Editor Continued: Industry Greed Means Citizens Will Pay More
Industry Greed Means Citizens Will Pay More
Editor, Times-Dispatch: The health care industry has said to Congress, "We don't care who you insure as long as you don't cut our pay." Congress has kowtowed with concessions to big pharma, big insurance, big medicine, and everyone else involved, except those most affected -- namely, taxpayers. We'll eventually wind up paying even more taxes.
Ernest Irby.
Henrico.
It's OK to Protest, But Don't Disturb
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Letter-writer Rick Provost ["Is the Pot Calling Out the Kettle?] lambasted liberals for presuming to know the inner motivations of vocal opponents of President Obama and for presuming that these opponents are motivated by racism. He then presumed to know the inner motivations of these liberals, concluding that they were projecting their inner racist intolerance onto those with whom they disagree. Oh, the irony! I don't suppose Provost would like it if I suggested, by his logic, that those waving vile Obama-as-Hitler signs are projecting their inner identities onto the president.
Thanks to the First Amendment, people can protest -- loudly -- about the proposed changes to health care or whatever other grounds on which they part ways with our elected officials. And people can, and should, point out when these protests verge into the disturbing, paranoid, and unhinged. Our country has a checkered history on the issue of race, and as a nation we continue to struggle with it in obvious and subtle ways. One might ask why the intersection of immigration and health care is so particularly volatile, and it does make sense to consider animus toward "the other" as a part of the reason for it. Certainly not all protesters are racist, not even most, but neither can we dismiss racism as part of the picture.
For all of his outrage, Provost never puts forward a substantive position on the policies he claims to care about. We should discuss issues such as the merits or demerits of our current health care system that incentivizes increased procedures instead of improved outcomes and the appropriateness of for-profit health insurers with obligations to shareholders that may conflict with obligations to those they insure. Name-calling shouldn't distract us from the fact that as a country we spend more and more on health care and get less and less in return. Or that in the most prosperous country in the world, lack of access to health care continues to be a defining factor.
Sarah Davis.
Bon Air.
Spend Our Defense Dollars Here at Home
Editor, Times-Dispatch: With a soaring deficit, a weak economy, and wars being fought in two distinct areas, it is time to concede that the United States of America can no longer be the world's policeman. Since WWII we have provided financial assistance, men, and materiel to nations of all stripes whether democratic or fascist ( in the case of Iran, earning the enmity of many of it's citizens).
Israel has received in excess of $3 billion each year. There is little hope of a peace in that region as Israeli settlers continue to build on what was once Palestinian land. Our action in Afghanistan can most accurately be described as revenge-motivated, not some strategic move in response to a threat to our national security. Were it the latter we could quadruple our spending on national security while withdrawing from Afghanistan altogether and still save money. It has been estimated that some $35 billion of taxpayer money is spent each year on foreign aid. In some cases the money spent is only to curry favor with the country's leader.
Money saved in a drastic reduction in foreign aid and military spending could be better spent on a national health care system and in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. This would provide jobs, helping in these tough times. It may sound isolationist to suggest such changes but it is clear that "change" has been thrust upon us whether we like it or not.
William M. Young.
Richmond.
Who Gets Rich Off Green Foreign Cars?
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I am dumbfounded that our government has so many issues to face and yet can still give away money to foreign firms to build green cars in the luxury class that I and other average Americans can never afford.
The only American to benefit seems to be Al Gore, as he owns a piece of one of those foreign companies getting the money.
How can the American public not be screaming for reasons to prevent such abuse of our tax dollars?
Bruce Fauth.
Midlothian.
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“Reinvest in America people”...how wonderful.
In the six years from 2001-07 health care premiums increased 78%, inflation increased 17%, wages increased 19%.
Wages +19% for all of six years and note cost of premiums. O.K. average working America, get out all that extra money you have and, invest in America!
During the six years from 2001-2007 (great tax cut years for the rich folk), health insurance premiums increased 78%, inflation 17%, and wages 19% (wages: +19% during 6 yrs).
At least the upper 5% did not feel as much pain, and when they are paying $2,500/month for family premiums they won’t feel as much as common folk.
“Industry Greed Means Citizens Will Pay More”…. the top five insurers, went on an acquisition spree, eliminating competition.
All industries have gone on an acquisition spree, its called satisfying the share holders. Ye ol stock market that the leading “EXPERTS” forecasting service jobs that measures your economy because all we do now in America is service! Simply put, there is little to no organic sales growth to be had in America industries, so it’s all a paper game!
If you buy a house in 1998 for $175,000
You sell the house in 2008 for $400,000
In 2018 what will that 20 year old house possibly cost a new buyer, $800,000+? Now do you really think that 20 year old house will be worth that? Well the experts will because they say so and it’s their service job to do so. WOW that’s just wrong!
Who knows, the average car will cost twice as much “or more” in ten years as well? You bet it will!
So while so many people are loosing jobs, US salaries are on a major decline today and by the way this trend will continue. Not to mention food or collage costs.
Who in America will be able to afford any of the above in 10 years?
Not me!
It’s a bigger problem than just health care people, just maybe?
Reinvest in America people, not the Globe!
Mr. Irby’s plan is not only big government, his plan is also big unions. You can count on him to submit letters to the editor or to the Your2Cents section every other week offering up some loopy ideas that enrich unions or the DNC. He’s a party animal. You know, in the last 9 months, he’s not once, out of all of his submissions pointed out ONE mistake of the Obama administration - for a social critic, he’s certainly missed the big picture by a mile.
“making too much gross profit”
Here’s your red flag ladies and gentlemen, the final refuge of the ne’er do well. Profit isn’t a dirty word.
Yep, we’re short on doctors and nurses - so let’s stretch them thinner, cut hospital profits which freezes or lowers their pay and see how many people go charging into that line of work.
Oh, but please. Let’s do go over some track records; especially costs.
Government. Yes, the entity big business wants us all to fear, to warrant our disdain and mistrust. Why? So we will put all our trust with Big Business; especially, those who have a monopoly on supply and pricing of the highest important product known to humans; health care.
In comparing cost per enrollees of comparable age groups, our (yes, our, as in your) goverment runs our military hospitals, our V.A. hospitals, our Medicare, the Federal Employees Health Benefits group insurance plans; all covering over 80 million Americans or more, at less cost than the Family of Five insurance profiteers.
You say “NO WAY!“? Recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 2,000+ employers: Nation’s Y2009 average premium for a family insurance plan copayed by an employer and his employee is now $13,400 per annum and rising to hit $30,000 per annum in ten years ($1,115/mo to $2,500/mo). Then, there are the annual deductibles and copays.
Contrary to how V.A. purchases drugs and other supplies, we in the private section have NO price negotiation ability with insurers nor pharmas, other than to buy some meds via Canada at half the cost of our insurer 90-day mail order pharmacy profit centers, or if we live near a border, X it like one million Californians a year do in going to Mexico for quality affordable care.
Ah yes. The old law of supply and demand.
As to our nation’s health care, we certainly have a high demand with 307.6 million Americans in need of coverage and we have a pretty good supply of quality care with our physicians, nurses, and hospitals. We could use more nurses and we could use more general practitioners in the physician category of supply. Course, several hours a week now wasted by physicians processing requests for 4 of 5 approvals they now get, along with claim forms, could be eliminated, freeing valuable hours for patient care. Regardless, we have a pretty good balance of supply & demand within health care.
However, their is a 3rd entity; a group that skims off the top 20%+ of money flowing into the system; for-profit-only insurers; the Family of Five. They have no function in helping doctors help patients get well. Their only function is receiving hundreds of billions of $‘s in premiums, skimming billions from such, denying claims, making too much gross profit for executives and Wall Street hedge funds, their primary stock holders.
The Family, as did the old New York Mafia Family of Five, control the delivery system. The old Mafia family controlled supply of products and price of it to the public, while the top five insurers control supply of health care we receive and how much we will pay for it.
So, Dr. Supply & Demand, what is your prescription that will break the strangle-hold of the Family, now that we will not have a non-profit insurance option to compete with them? Use your supply & demand wisdom to cure this financial cancer destained to destroy our nation.
So Mr Irby’s solution is Big Govmint.
Let’s not even go over their track record.
Truth, aka Johnny One-Note:
Anyone so naïve as to think such?
Can I introduce you to supply and demand?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/economics/supplyanddemand1.htm
“Industry Greed Means Citizens Will Pay More”….Greed in industry has always existed and existing forever, it shall. To block excess greed we depend on government oversight.
One notes, “health care costs could be reduced with more private industry competition.” Since Democrats tried again in early 1990’s to help our nation bring our health care delivery system into the modern era decades after all other advanced nations had done so; again, special interests supported by private industry destroyed the effort. During those 15 years since, private industry; especially, the top five insurers, went on an acquisition spree, eliminating competition.
The Family of Five have bonded to further insure themselves freedom to charge what they desire and deny what they will, dictating to physicians and policy holders what, when, and how much care and its costs will be shared by whom. Thus, costs are doubling every eight years since the Republican Party supported industry greed over America‘s best interest.
The only competition we hear from some is to allow citizens to shop across state lines for insurance. States regulate insurer access to citizens in each state, but do not regulate rates. The Family of Five regulate themselves as to rates and coverage. IF the Fed gained support from states to allow interstate shopping, what then? Does anyone truly believe WellPoint’s Virginia-based Anthem BCBS will allow a Virginian to purchase a VA plan at same premium as they charge for same plan in Iowa, which is lower in cost? Anyone so naïve as to think such?
Get a grip on reality. UnitedHealth owns Ingenix, the industry’s data processing entity that handles much of the data for the Family of Five, along with hospital groups. Ingenix recently bought AIM Health Care, an “intelligence” data mining company whose sole purpose is investigating major prior claims paid by clients, like Aetna, Cigna, Humana, WellPoint, and United; then, rebilling policy holders based on loopholes they find. Not only do we face average employer/employee cost of $13,400/yr premium for family coverage today, destined to exceed $30,000/yr by 2019, but YOU might be a recipient someday of a registered letter informing you to pay thousands of $’s for a claim “overpayment” of years prior. No, they do not look for prior underpayments.
Some of you supported this type of “competition” by not supporting a non-profit public insurance option that would truly have been competition. Too late now. We are gonna get thoroughly cooked.
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