Under sharp questioning from SCC Commissioner Theodore Morrison, Braly declined to say that her company would pass on efficiency savings to customers by lowering health insurance premiums.
See? That’s a part of the reason why health insurance premiums are so high. The quote comes from this article, which appeared in The Virginian Pilot. It seems that as a part of its agreement to purchase Trigon, the SCC required that the purchaser, Wellpoint, Inc., keep certain services in Virginia. Now that company wants to move the operations out of state, or even overseas, in an effort to improve its bottom line.
Let me guess: Angela Braly, the president and chief executive of Wellpoint, gets a bonus based on the net bottom line.
“We have an obligation to fix the health care system. We have an obligation to provide better services at lower cost.”
Obligation to whom, Ms. Braly? That was a rhetorical question, by the way. I know who your obligation is to: the shareholders.
That’s right. Once these companies went thru the demutualization process, going from policyholder-owned to publicly traded, the focus shifted from the policyholders to the shareholders. The bigger question is who at these companies is looking out for the policyholders?
That would be no one.
As long as profits are driving the health care system, it can’t be fixed. We are beyond the time for needing some form of universal health care.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I know the arguement gets dismissed but it just seems to be that the heathcare insurance industry should be made to go to same type format as the insurance industry related to automobiles. I am not big on universal healthcare, largely becasue the government has proven its inability with large scale measures like the welfare state and in the end never seems to get it right and it ends up costing taxpayers in the end more and more to sustain a badly inefficient system. Nevertheless, it seems to be there should be incentive to be healthy, just like there is being an excellant driver. Premiums never seem to come done no matter what the situation. At least life insurers reduce costs for those who chose not to smoke. Fact remains, healthcare is a for profit business in this country and run as such. We allow insurers to determine precription pricing formats and not the government and allow them to set widely irrational differences in pricing. We allow an individual who works for a smaller company get the shaft in his plan merely because of the number in the plan and the benefits are less. Meanwhile, an employee same age same lifestyle gets drastically better coverage from a larger employers plan from the same insurer. Where the equal protection of health in that. I fear no matter what presidential hopefuls say will matter little in the long run as the lobby groups will end this whole universal dream and Wellpoint and others will go on running their bottom-line for profit business models.
J. Scott, go read up on comparisons between Medicare and HMOs, and tell me that the private sector gets it done better.
There’s a lot of businesses out there who would like to see the individual take a greater responsibility for his own healthcare, represented at large by government instead of by his employer. As we continue to compete in the global economy, many businesses are hampered by having to assume responsibility for its company’s healthcare. Businesses in other countries with whom we’re competing have those costs defrayed by their governments.
And that is what I believe will ultimately push us towards single payer healthcare.
So what you are saying is that people, businesses, etc. are not going to be impacted by universal healthcare. Its called taxes people, dems cure for everything. You think we have an overweight epidemic now. Just wait when the government controls the healthcare system and people really have no incentive to stay healthy. Why should I, a middle aged man, who maintains a healthy lifestyle through deit and exercise and other preventitive measures have to pay for some schlub who doesn’t want to work (welfare) smokes, eats the wrong things, drinks to much, doesn’t exercise, etc. and all of a suddenly comes down with diabetes, heart disease, etc. No Way it should happen. You liberals absolutely wrong on this! If you had your choice to receive medical attention, where would you want to go, Canada, Europe or the US. There is a reason the US has the best doctors and medical facilities in the World, because we have private healthcare, you fools!
Hey, RLewis, have you ever been to a doctor in Canada or Europe?
Let me guess, rlewis – you work for a large company that subsidizes your health insurance costs. How much does your company contribute to the cost of your insurance? And who do you think is paying for that? Why, that would be me and all the other taxpayers, because that company gets to write off that cost on their taxes.
And if you think the government is only taking care of welfare folks, you haven’t looked at federal employees lately. Last time I checked, the “government” (that’s us, BTW) was picking up 60% of the cost of their health insurance.
As a small business owner, I know what real health insurance costs.
Stop drinking the KoolAid and get informed before blowing off about “taxes.”
MB,
Are you disputing that Canada and Europe have a better healthcare system than us? I am not talking about government healthcare handouts, I am talking about education and facilities. I would venture to guess that a lot of Canadian and Euro Docs were educated in the US. Do you honestly think that our specialists will take a paycut to work. You know very well that the Gov is not going to pay a specialist half what they can make in the private sector. And god bless them for being good at what they do and in demand an able to charge for there expertise. I know all you dems and liberals are coming off of the “Sicko” high, however there is just as much evidence to counter those claims, just like the global warming issue. As people begin to talk about this issue, evidence will prove that it is a bad idea. So, MB, you are in favor of increasing taxes to cover universal healthcare?, so we can provide the same service as Canada and Europe? Explain to me how we can provide universal healthcare without raising taxes? At somepoint people are going to have to be responsible for themselves, not the government (welfare, affirmative action, healthcare, education, etc.). I managed to go to college, work through college, joined the army reserves and took out a student loan to help pay for college, pay for my own meals, books, car insurance, rent, etc., graduate from college, pay off my own student loans, find a decent job, several since I graduated years ago, they all provided health insurance of some kind, have a wife and 2 kids and still managing to live my life very happy without government interference. Everyone! Everyone has the same opportunities that I had if not more, so don’t give me some compassionate story about how people just can’t afford health insurance, we need to raise the minimum wage so people can live, boo hoo hoo. Stop your crying, start taking care of yourself, get a job and work for a living and not off of the governments nip. I know, that is not the Dems way, they wouldn’t have any voters if people actually thought and took care of themselves.
RLewis, I don’t even know where to start with you. Other than to assume that the answer to my question is no, and so you’re starting off by running your mouth about something you’ve no experience with.
Then I’m going to ask you whether you turned down those awful government socialized medicine benefits you rec’d through the Reserve.
And then I’d tell you to go read about the VAST difference in administrative overheads between the private insurance companies and those in Medicare. Maybe think a little bit about which might be far more efficient, and whether we want to spend our money on treatment or marketing/admin/execs.
If you can do all that, and you can stop making things up, let’s talk healthcare.
MB,
How do you know I have no experience with this, because MB said so! Please, you are obvisiously a partisan hack. What is your experience! Democratic bullet points I am sure. By the way, there are no socialized medicince benefits in the Army Reserves unless you are active Reserves or Retire from the reserves. So your credibility is shot with that. Plus there is a difference with someone actually working (Reserves) and receiving benefits and some slack welfare recipient receiving health benefits.
My entire family is in the healthcare field, from a doctor, nurse, respitory therapist and pharmacist, so I will trust there veiws on this topic rather than some partisan hack who can only talk out of one side of their mouth.
I beleive there needs to be reform with the Healthcare system, but Universal Healthcare is not the answer.
I am going to assume you would rather have your medical issues solved by doctors in Canada and Europe and pay taxes for Universal Healthcare, since you could not answer my questions!
And please explain to me to what I was making up?
I need to set the record straight on a very important area?
OUR CARE IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!!
First, come out from the cold on universal healthcare or socialistic healthcare because right now you have to wait …get this 5 weeks from the time you get a referral from your doctor to see a specialist in Canada. Thats the norm. Truth friends. My family lived under the Canadian system, I have a sister born there and I can tell you that that system from a care standpoint is not it. People are coming to NY to get treated in our country. Sure we go to by prescription drugs up there cheap, but that no reason to go to their system….fix the dam prescription drug problem within our country.
Americans will surel not stand for having to wait say 30 weeks to see a nuerosurgeon like in Great Britain. You see in this type of system you wait in line, you are assigned the specialist after the referral without choice. Without choice people. I emplore all of you to investigate the status of these systems with regard to care before hopping on a bandwagon leading us to beurocratic hell.
From a cost standpoint…ie what you put in versus what you get out..people of course would favor this type of system, until they get sick and find that the system is no different than Walmart on a Saturday….wait in line because we just ain’t opening no more registers. Canada, Great Britain and France (the worst) have these issues with far less populations.
Friends, would you stand to be told your loved one can’t get their surgery for 20, 30 or Frances 52 weeks in cases. I think not.
We can fix our system without this, politcians have to have the will to do so and the lobbying power is tremondous.
I’m a small business owner, too, Vivian. It’s hard and a little frightening venturing out on your own and making your own way in life rather than being a cog in someone else’s corporate wheel, isn’t it? But it’s also exciting, there’s that spirit of enterprise that goes along with starting a business, finding clients, building a professional reputation and creating your own wealth and financial independence. I still have my very first business license framed.
And I think that’s what RLewis is missing here. I commend him for putting himself through college and getting a good job, and you’re right in that it’s an opportunity which is available to most people in America. But unless our government fosters our American spirit of free enterprise by being a better partner for business owners in providing healthcare for American families, clawing our way up to middle management will be the ONLY opportunity available to the overwhelming majority of Americans. No small business competing in the marketplace, way fewer jobs, a weaker economy, and no real chance of truly achieving our full potential on our own.
But you’re right, rlewis, it’s absolutely true that people should be free to make up their own way and “stop relying on their goverment nip.” Which brings me to the money we gave you to go to college and the dollars we’re paying out to educate your two children and run the public schools your doctors were educated at. Can we have it back, please?
Anonymous,
You obvisiously didn’t read what I wrote. I pratically paid my own way through college, I did receive the GI Bill which only amounted to about 1/10 of the cost of my college bill. BUT I WORKED FOR THAT MONEY BY REPORTING FOR DRILL ONE WEEKEND A MONTH TWO WEEKS IN THE SUMMER! I borrowed the rest, called a loan and paid it off by myself after I graduated from college, so “we” didn’t give me anything for college. My children go to private school thankyou, I wouldn’t send them to the local immigrant infested, poor teacher so called public school. I actually care about my childrens education! Thats another topic for another day.
RLewis, you’re kinda obsessed with slack welfare recipients, aren’t you? As anon before me points out, you’ve enjoyed your own share of publicly funded benefits. Which I don’t begrudge, btw. I think we all ought to share in the costs of a decent and civilized society. What I do begrudge is hypocrites popping off at the mouth.
So if you’ve got all of these healthcare industry folks at hand, go ahead and ask them who’d they’d rather deal with – Kaiser or Medicare. Feel free to post the response here.
I’m willing to kick in my fair share for universal healthcare, yes. I’m not certain, but I’m not entirely sure it would be a net increase for me. I pay an enormous amount for health insurance now, and various past employers have paid enormous amounts on my behalf that would have otherwise come to me as salary, I’m sure. Given the choice between sending the same amount to support universal healthcare or the overhead and political chicanery of Healthsouth, I’ll opt for the former, thanks.
(As to you making things up, I’d point you to all of the Evil Liberal suppositions you were throwing out there. You’d do well to consider your words a little more carefully, lest you look stupid.)
And while I appreciate your enthusiastic jingoism, J. Scott, I’d point out that you’ve left out something rather important. U.S. healthcare is probably the best – if you can get it. And that’s a big ol’ if. And we’re not just talking about the barriers to the uninsured. There are huge qualitative differences in the sort of care you can get, depending on your insurance.
I dealt with a rather substantial injury a few years ago, one that put me in touch with a community of people with a similar issue. The difference between the care they were allowed by their health insurance plans and what I could get (I had an *excellent* plan) was shocking. I went straight to any specialist I liked. They were stuck with weeks/months of referral/approval run around. I got rehab until I was fixed. They got six visits, results be damned. This certainly affected our differing outcomes. There’s something quite wrong with that. (And if you don’t think there are similar HMO-created waits in the US for some surgeries, you *really* don’t know what you’re talking about.)
And finally, spare me the tales of the awful systems in Canada, the UK, etc. First, I’m not saying they’re perfect (nor is anyone else). But they do a damn good job, on the whole. I’ve got personal and direct experience with both the UK (extensive) and German systems. I’m not advocating a wholesale copying of any of those systems, but there’s a lot that they’ve done (and learned) that the US could benefit from in constructing its own system.
All that college, and you’re still not all that smart. You really truly believe that you’ve done everything on your own, with no thanks to everyone but yourself, eh? You build that college? Cover all the costs of the research on the subjects you learned about? Create the student loan system?
And on the subject of schools – I’m glad to hear your kids are getting a good education, wherever it is. Because it doesn’t seem likely that they’re getting it at home.