How does TORT reform help Cali?
Alex Romero
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/02/08/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6187231.shtml
Obama Administration Blasts Anthem Blue Cross Rate Hike
Anthem Blue Cross will raise rates on March 1 for many of its approximately 800,000 customers in the individual market, the Los Angeles Times reported last week. Some customers say they have been notified of increases from 30 percent to 39 percent, following similar rate hikes last year. Meanwhile, Anthem's parent company, WellPoint Inc., recently announced an eightfold increase in profits for the last three months of 2009, bringing its earnings -- for just that quarter -- to $2.7 billion.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter (the Huffington Post has a copy of it here) to Anthem Blue Cross president Leslie Margolin saying she is "very disturbed" about the news of the rate hike. She also said she will be "closely monitoring the situation," which is already under investigation by the state of California.
"These extraordinary increases are up to 15 times faster than inflation and threaten to make health care unaffordable for hundreds of thousands of Californians, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet in a difficult economy," Sebelius wrote. "Your company's strong financial position makes these rate increases even more difficult to understand."
Sebelius tells Anthem that it has a responsibility to provide the public with detailed justification for its rate increases, as well as information on the percent of premiums spent for medical care versus administrative costs.
President Obama told CBS News' Katie Couric on Sunday that the rate hike illustrates how critical health care reform is.
"That's a portrait of the future if we don't do something now," he said. "It's going to keep on beating down families, small businesses, large businesses; it's going to be a huge drain on the economy."
Other health reform advocates are also pointing to the hike as a reason to keep pressing legislators to finish the bill.
"This exact problem -- individuals having to fight with insurance companies on their own for decent, affordable coverage -- is what health reform is designed to solve," writes Jason Rosenbaum for the liberal group Health Care for America Now.
Kyle Curtis
There's am idea from conservatives that health insurance companies are rationale and have the best interestals of their customers in mind.
As I said before, they have more hope & faith than those who support Obama do.
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Brent Wolters
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Alex Romero
Medicine is proven to not cost so damn much over and over...costs per person are massively higher in the US, and yet we score extremely low when it comes to quality of care...moron!
This should be scrawled all over Palin's hand!...fuckin Reps...all they want is to line their pockets..and care of little else...
Alex Romero
Kyle Curtis
Stupid conservatives. They want to sot back and do nothing as jealrj continues to eat up a larger share of GNP than any other Western country, and continues to unsustainably add to our deficit, which Brent and his merry band of tea baggers must not be all that serious about addressing after all. Let me guess, despite the fact that these rates will bankrupt middle class families- which Brent must not care about either- its all the fault of illegals that don't clog up emergency rooms.
But sure, I'll take your advice and start my own insurance company. Glad to know that when I create my own Ponzi scam that is created by raping my customers, I can rely on you for defense and support.
On Feb 8, 2010 4:18 PM, "Alex Romero" <axm...@gmail.com> wrote:
Oh and the question was...how will TORT reform help this situation?...it seems you think that HC just plain costs a hell of alot more than the entire world...so why would TORT reform help here...?
On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 3:15 PM, Alex Romero <axm...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Uhhh...the liberals tot...
Brent Wolters
Juneau Smog
Yes we can repair this world.
Kyle Curtis
I'm just confused how every other Western country can cover more of their population, for less cost per capita.
And, yes, I could see how those people who never read or familiarized themselves with the bill or watched the debates on C-SPAN could consider the bill "flawed." "Why, it didn't only allow the ability to purchase across state lines (wait, it does? dang!) or seek medical malpractice reform (wait, it does that too? dang!) which would result in everyone covered, and premiums coming to less than $10 a month!"
Its a good thing that Massachusetts- a state that all ready has near-universal, mandated health insurance- has made the decision to deny such coverage to the rest of the country. Tell me, does this make all of that state's voters a "death panel?" Or just Scott Brown? And this California company will be forcing people to drop coverage, and ultimately die. I am waiting for Sarah Palin to denounce them as a death panel. Though I'm not holding my breath. I fear if I cut off oxygen to my brain for too long I might end up posting nonsensical ramblings similar to yours.
No, if anything, the actions taken by this company only demonstrate just how unsustainable a market left to itself will get, with no other purpose than pure profit. When you consider the fact that states regulate insurance companies, and California under the stewardship of Gov. Schwarzenegger has seen its economy implode into a black hole, this company decided "Hey! Let's raise our rates 40 percent! I mean, what's the state going to do, stop us? Bwahahahahaha." A clearer case for Congressional regulation can't be made.
I mean, its not as if every other form of commerce falls under Congressional regulation, even though they all weren't started by altruistic rich guys. In fact, it kinda sorta has explicit language right there in that ol' Constitution you silly teabaggers yell on and on about. And I'm glad we ended that canard that you're really concerned about the deficit, which you conservatives didn't bat an eye at as it reached stratospheric levels under the guy you voted twice for President. Because if getting the deficit under control you'd- ta da!- support health care reform, you nitwit. But I hope you don't mind paying for the health care of all the customers who will be leaving this company, because, well, you will be. Imagine, multi-million dollar bonuses for the executives, and you're stuck with the tab. Awesome. How's that for socialism?
When you say you didn't like people who say one thing and act another, did you know you were talking about yourself? Is the self-loathing the explanation for the teabaggers' crazy nonsense? Personally, I think its a generation of underfunding education that started under Reagan. Its the only explanation I have for your incoherence.
On Feb 8, 2010 7:41 PM, "Juneau Smog" <junea...@gmail.com> wrote:
For those of you who want to continue denying people health care and basic medical services you need to get yourself a new religion because "Christianity" is already taken and it's time to stop hiding behind the crucifix.
On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 6:28 PM, Brent Wolters <brenton...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> WRONG! Libe...
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Alex Romero
Kyle Curtis
I mean, this picture obviously wasn't created by a liberal.
Juneau Smog
Noah Walden
Juneau Smog
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