There’s an indication we’re getting off track again that’s a little worrisome. In the criticisms of Obamacare, there are more frequent references and a new “concern” expressed in the media that insurance companies will “HAVE TO” raise their premium charges (or further decimate coverage for costs of needed medical treatment and care). HAVE TO?
Stop right there. Regardless of how much Obamacare is an inadequate attempt to reform healthcare in a meaningful way for consumers (which it is), it is ANOTHER step in the wrong direction to entertain any thoughts that taking steps so that insurers won’t “HAVE TO” raise premiums (or weaken coverage) is any kind of answer.
In October of 2009, in a posting entitled, “Without the Public Option is Health care Reform going to change anything?” http://conoutofconsumer.blogspot.com/2009/10/without-public-option-is-health-care.html I wrote:
He had a moment in time with an opportunity to make real positive change for the country, but a reluctance to fight it out, an inability to explain it out and an unwillingness to simplify proposals with a simple we'll add this but we'll cut this wasteful government spending to cover the costs has left Americans with only one likelihood: Investing in insurance companies is a good thing.(emphasis added)
When it comes to health insurance, all media is relevant. After all, the “sale” of Obamacare to the public was largely a political and media effort to get Obama in the Presidency so that he could make the positive changes people hoped for that turned out to be a years’-long process of misleading the American public as to what exactly we were getting with Obamacare. It is critical that consumers use their ability to Tweet, email and communicate with media that we’re not interested in this new twist, painting the insurance companies as “victims” of Obamacare.
A few months after my blog post in October of 2009, in December of 2009, Robert Lenzner, of “Forbes,” wrote an article, “The Horrendous Truth About Health Care Reform,” http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/04/cigna-unitedhealth-aetna-personal-finance-investing-ideas-humana-wellpoint.html. His money advice justified on somewhat different reasons, since he is not necessarily a “consumer advocate” suggested purchasing insurance stocks for investment, citing similar recommendations by organizations like Goldman Sachs.
Robert Lenzner of “Forbes,” reiterated his advice and concerns about money going to insurance companies in an October 2013 article called, “ObamaCare Enriches Only the Health Insurance Giants and Their Shareholders,” http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlenzner/2013/10/01/obamacare-enriches-only-the-health-insurance-giants-and-their-shareholders/. Discussing the increased wealth of insurance companies, Mr. Lenzner’s October 2013 article cites enormous increases in share value among insurance companies traceable to “…Obama’s sellout of the public interest.”
When it comes to blame, insurance companies carry an enormous burden in their role in the healthcare crisis. In several posts I cite the documentation from the health insurance industry that shows that insurance companies largely created the features of Obamacare referring to a 2008 document, “Health Plans Propose Guaranteed Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions and Individual Coverage Mandate,” for instance in my July 2013 post, “Insurance Companies Created Obamacare,” http://conoutofconsumer.blogspot.com/2013/07/insurance-companies-created-obamacare.html.
As with most of the O-blama-care series here addressing blame for this new twist in the healthcare crisis, simple starting points for solutions are included.
Here, solution ONE is to STOP PAINTING INSURANCE COMPANIES AS VICTIMS OF OBAMACARE, they created it, there are protections for them in it and every expense they incur they pass on to consumers. Media wants an audience, you are a member of the audience, therefore media wants you which gives you some power to influence the same.
Second, since most of our healthcare crisis stems from the impact of various legislation on stakeholders from beneficial or non-beneficial tax treatments, to the amount of deduction we can take for medical expenses, to what is required of citizens and other stakeholders in the healthcare industry, DO NOT buy into any “free market” arguments. There hasn’t been a free market in health insurance for decades, that is NOT only an Obamacare result.
Third, support changes that support you directly. We’ve seen that for every study there is a counter-study put forth by the other side. Instead address facts.
For instance, family out-of-pocket maximums are so high that they will not prevent bankruptcy in the event of illness within a family for many families. In 2014, those amounts are set at $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. These maximums DO NOT include premiums which for individuals can are permissibly up to 9.8 percent of your income as an individual with NO LIMITATION on how much can be charged to cover your family members. On its face, this law leaves most middle class families in jeopardy financially, you need not be a statistician to figure that out.
(See discussions of this issue in articles like, Michelle Andrews’ article of June 11, 2013, “Federal Rule Allows Higher Out-Of-Pocket Spending for One Year,” which primarily addresses the delay of inclusion of drug costs in some instances which further raises consumers costs (http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Features/Insuring-Your-Health/2013/061113-Michelle-Andrews-out-of-pocket-costs.aspx).
