Comments on: Medicaid for All: An Alternative To Subsidizing Insurance Companies http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/ Firedoglake weblog Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:21:27 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: marcos http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981856 marcos Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:50:55 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981856 <p>One problem with interstate competition is that insurance regulators are state-based, implementing state insurance laws, and when an insurer does wrong across state lines, the insurance regulators have to cobble together an investigation and enforcement process tailored to that event. There would need to be some sort of federal framework to provide guidance to state regulators if insurance companies were allowed to operate across state lines as the Republicans suggest.</p> One problem with interstate competition is that insurance regulators are state-based, implementing state insurance laws, and when an insurer does wrong across state lines, the insurance regulators have to cobble together an investigation and enforcement process tailored to that event. There would need to be some sort of federal framework to provide guidance to state regulators if insurance companies were allowed to operate across state lines as the Republicans suggest.

]]> By: JacksonAndrew http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981697 JacksonAndrew Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:14:55 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981697 <p>Republicans have it RIGHT! We need Health Care Competition with Internet Exchange so we can all compare 1,300 Insurers on Total Cost, deductibles, coverage, co-pays, etc. 100% of Citizens the Internet Exchange that shows Private and Public Plans ranked by cost, benefits, deductibles, or co-pays to select best plan for them! </p> <p>Democrats have it RIGHT! We need a STRONG Medicare Public Option as part of that Internet Exchange!</p> <p>Baucus has it WRONG! Isolates 180 Million people from having a CHOICE of employer Coverage or buying through the Internet Exchange!</p> <p>If 0BAMA agrees with Baucus then 0BAMA is also WRONG!</p> <p>If Medicare is ranked with the 1,300 Insurers by ANNUAL COST then Medicare will more frequently than NOT be the Best Plan (Top in the Sorted List) so competition will be the key to having a market!<br /> _______________</p> <p>COMPETITION with Private & Public Options = Lower COST Health Care for ALL</p> <p>Insurers will have to lower prices and increase coverage to compete! That will be the best way to insure Innovation and lower costs!</p> <p>NO Rejections of any kind!</p> Republicans have it RIGHT! We need Health Care Competition with Internet Exchange so we can all compare 1,300 Insurers on Total Cost, deductibles, coverage, co-pays, etc. 100% of Citizens the Internet Exchange that shows Private and Public Plans ranked by cost, benefits, deductibles, or co-pays to select best plan for them!

Democrats have it RIGHT! We need a STRONG Medicare Public Option as part of that Internet Exchange!

Baucus has it WRONG! Isolates 180 Million people from having a CHOICE of employer Coverage or buying through the Internet Exchange!

If 0BAMA agrees with Baucus then 0BAMA is also WRONG!

If Medicare is ranked with the 1,300 Insurers by ANNUAL COST then Medicare will more frequently than NOT be the Best Plan (Top in the Sorted List) so competition will be the key to having a market!
_______________

COMPETITION with Private & Public Options = Lower COST Health Care for ALL

Insurers will have to lower prices and increase coverage to compete! That will be the best way to insure Innovation and lower costs!

NO Rejections of any kind!

]]> By: MarkH http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981579 MarkH Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:02:26 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981579 <p>It needs to be a bit shorter.</p> <p>A broken healthcare system costs America 15 catastrophic 9/11-like events a year.<br /> If lobbyists want to fight reform then I say, “Bring it on!”</p> It needs to be a bit shorter.

A broken healthcare system costs America 15 catastrophic 9/11-like events a year.
If lobbyists want to fight reform then I say, “Bring it on!”

]]> By: marcos http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981353 marcos Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:54:57 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981353 <p>Implementing Medicare For All would mean absolving employers of the burden and raising wages and taxing everyone an amount significantly less than the cost of employer based insurance premiums and existing Medicare payments.</p> <p>It would also absolve states and localities of the need to spend local resources on health care. </p> <p>It would also beef up Medicare’s finances with an influx of younger workers’ premiums which would make the system more secure for seniors and available for the young.</p> Implementing Medicare For All would mean absolving employers of the burden and raising wages and taxing everyone an amount significantly less than the cost of employer based insurance premiums and existing Medicare payments.

It would also absolve states and localities of the need to spend local resources on health care.

It would also beef up Medicare’s finances with an influx of younger workers’ premiums which would make the system more secure for seniors and available for the young.

]]> By: masaccio http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981326 masaccio Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:38:42 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981326 <p>That would be a remarkable achievement. I wonder how much it would cost.</p> That would be a remarkable achievement. I wonder how much it would cost.

]]> By: masaccio http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981324 masaccio Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:37:04 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981324 <p>I’ve looked at the 10-Ks of the 10 largest health insurance companies and at the financials of Michigan Blue Cross for 2008. The medical loss ratios run in the range of 80-84% for the for-profits and a bit higher for the BCBS company. This doesn’t take investment income into account, and doesn’t account for their screwing around with their reserves, which are an adjustment to income. Here is the <a href="http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1156039/000119312509033022/d10k.htm" rel="nofollow">Wellpoint 10-K</a>. It says on page 43 that their benefit loss (”The benefit expense ratio represents benefit expenses as a percentage of premium revenue.”) ratio was 83.6% for 2008.</p> I’ve looked at the 10-Ks of the 10 largest health insurance companies and at the financials of Michigan Blue Cross for 2008. The medical loss ratios run in the range of 80-84% for the for-profits and a bit higher for the BCBS company. This doesn’t take investment income into account, and doesn’t account for their screwing around with their reserves, which are an adjustment to income. Here is the Wellpoint 10-K. It says on page 43 that their benefit loss (”The benefit expense ratio represents benefit expenses as a percentage of premium revenue.”) ratio was 83.6% for 2008.

]]> By: letsgetitdone http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981291 letsgetitdone Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:43:38 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981291 <p>Hi Cujo, I think your figures are off a bit. The margin of overhead + profits for private insurers is more like 30% while Medicare is 2.5%, and 160 million are covered. Also, the percentage of GDP is more like 17 to 17.5%. So, I think we’re looking at a reduction of a bit more than 2%, perhaps as much as 3% or 4%. In addition, we know what public programs such as Medicare are capable of when it comes to saving money in other countries. Giving us a few years with people of all ages being covered by Medicare is there any reason why we can’t just as well as Canada when it comes to costs. If so, that would give us enormous savings of 7% of GDP eventually.</p> Hi Cujo, I think your figures are off a bit. The margin of overhead + profits for private insurers is more like 30% while Medicare is 2.5%, and 160 million are covered. Also, the percentage of GDP is more like 17 to 17.5%. So, I think we’re looking at a reduction of a bit more than 2%, perhaps as much as 3% or 4%. In addition, we know what public programs such as Medicare are capable of when it comes to saving money in other countries. Giving us a few years with people of all ages being covered by Medicare is there any reason why we can’t just as well as Canada when it comes to costs. If so, that would give us enormous savings of 7% of GDP eventually.

]]> By: masslib http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981286 masslib Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:19:27 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981286 <p>We could cover half the uninsured by raising Medicaid to 150% FPL. Makes you wonder why they are forcing people into private insurance do achieve what they could by doing that, and nationalizing and funding Medicaid.</p> We could cover half the uninsured by raising Medicaid to 150% FPL. Makes you wonder why they are forcing people into private insurance do achieve what they could by doing that, and nationalizing and funding Medicaid.

]]> By: letsgetitdone http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981285 letsgetitdone Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:19:06 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981285 <p>Thanks Loo Hoo. In effect, however, if you put your name on <a href="http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8317" rel="nofollow">this list</a> by responding to the post, you’re signing on to advocacy for Medicare for All.</p> Thanks Loo Hoo. In effect, however, if you put your name on this list by responding to the post, you’re signing on to advocacy for Medicare for All.

]]> By: Kassandra http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981269 Kassandra Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:23:32 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/medicaid-for-all-an-alternative-to-subsidizing-insurance-companies/#comment-1981269 <p>This may answer a few questions about the way Obama is “thinking”:<br /><a href="http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2009/09/guest-post-steve-keen-out-thinks-larry-summers.html" rel="nofollow">Australian PhD economist Steve Keen points out a huge gap in the thinking of Summers – and all neoclassical economists.</a></p> <p>Now that Obama’s done pretty much what Hoover did in the first great depression, do you really think he’s on the side of the people…or the “supply”?<br /> Makes one wonder just how much of this country is already conquered…</p> This may answer a few questions about the way Obama is “thinking”:
Australian PhD economist Steve Keen points out a huge gap in the thinking of Summers – and all neoclassical economists.

Now that Obama’s done pretty much what Hoover did in the first great depression, do you really think he’s on the side of the people…or the “supply”?
Makes one wonder just how much of this country is already conquered…

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