Sebelius: Insurers Will Be Punished For Telling The Truth

[boedicca]

Yessireee!!!!! ObamaCare is going to Bend The Cost Curve....UP!!!!!

 

[Political Junky]

Maybe they are concerned about insurance companies flat out lying about the cause for rates increases. Just a thought.

That's what it sounds like to me.

 

[boedicca]

That's not what it sounds like to those of us who've been paying attention.

ObamaCare was sold with a bunch of lies about reducing costs and the deficit. Reality is proving that P-O-R were lying, so now they are in spin and damage control mode.

 

[Greenbeard]

Yessireee!!!!! ObamaCare is going to Bend The Cost Curve....UP!!!!!

I assume you're talking about the paper released yesterday that predicts relatively faster spending growth rates from 2013-2016 (i.e. relative to the law as it used to be), followed by the start of substantial deceleration of spending growth?

 

[boedicca]

No, I'm referring to the logical result of unfettered Demand and government controlled supply.

 

[Greenbeard]

No, I'm referring to the logical result of unfettered Demand and government controlled supply.

Unfortunately that goes back quite a ways. Although I suppose I should clarify that I do support a basic degree of competence being required of physicians.

 

[Trajan]

So, who pays to cover the 18 or in many cases 21- 26 year olds new coverage ? if I put my daughter who still lives at home on my co. plan, who pays?
Are ins. co's just supposed to eat that cost?

 

[Political Junky]

Thank God for cons who stick up for corporations over people.

 

[boedicca]

So, who pays to cover the 18 or in many cases 21- 26 year olds new coverage ? if I put my daughter who still lives at home on my co. plan, who pays?
Are ins. co's just supposed to eat that cost?

Uh, yes. Insurance companies are supposed to pay for it with their enormous 3% profit margins. Doctors and hospitals are supposed to pay for it by making less money. The elderly are supposed to pay for it by receiving less care because their lives aren't worth very much. The RICH are supposed to pay for because, well, they're The RICH.

 

[boedicca]

Thank God for cons who stick up for corporations over people.

No Moron. We're sticking up for Individuals vs. Big Government.

 

[Trajan]

Thank God for cons who stick up for corporations over people.

well you may live in Nirvana, so you're exempt, but I live here in the US and pay taxes etc. and pay a HC premium....so pardon me if I am interested in who will be paying for this, because I suspect will be and anyone paying taxes here will be as well.

 

[saveliberty]

Think about it this way. Right now you have your concerns as a care recipient, a corporation that answers to you and the government. If the government takes over, more like when if Obama has anything to say about it, it is you versus the government. YOU will lose every time.

Obama is saying if you say ANY of this increase is government related, I'll take away some of your business. The government anticipated 1-2% this year for the plan being implemented. They simply under estimated. Many of us foresaw that.

I guess Obama thinks everyone in the US has a right to free speech, except health insurance companies. How partisan of him.

 

[boedicca]

Who are we supposed to believe? People who told us that if we had an $800B+ Stimulus Package that unemployment would peak at 8%? Or insurance companies with 3% profit margins that specialize in actuarial analysis for coverage options?

 

[saveliberty]

Who are we supposed to believe? People who told us that if we had an $800B+ Stimulus Package that unemployment would peak at 8%? Or insurance companies with 3% profit margins that specialize in actuarial analysis for coverage options?

Well, since I know we are going to add mostly high risk insured this year, I'm going with the corporate number guys.

 

[Flopper]

Yet more evidence that we live in a Thugocracy:

President Barack Obama's top health official on Thursday warned the insurance industry that the administration won't tolerate blaming premium hikes on the new health overhaul law.

"There will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a letter to the insurance lobby.

"Simply stated, we will not stand idly by as insurers blame their premium hikes and increased profits on the requirement that they provide consumers with basic protections," Sebelius said. She warned that bad actors may be excluded from new health insurance markets that will open in 2014 under the law. They'd lose out on a big pool of customers, as many as 30 million people nationwide....

HHS to insurers: Don't blame us for your rates - Yahoo! News


Sebelius is essentially threatening insurers to shut up or risk being denied the business to be doles out by the government. This is what happens when Big Government runs amok.

So you are saying it's ok for health insurance companies to lie to their customers about the reasons for increases in premiums and the administration should say nothing? I think it's about time someone spoke out about the premium increase. I'm looking at a 25% increase in premium and that's on top of a 40% increase last year and the policy copays are higher. They justify the increase by saying healthcare cost is increasing. The 2010 estimate of healthcare cost increase is only 6% and it was 10% last year meanwhile healthcare profits increased 56% in 2009 and are projected to have another good increase in 2010. And don't say go shop for another insurer. Most Americans have no choice. They are stuck with the insurer their company selects. So will insurance companies blame premium increase on the new healthcare law. You bet they will and the administration should speak out.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

So you are saying it's ok for health insurance companies to lie to their customers about the reasons for increases in premiums and the administration should say nothing? I think it's about time someone spoke out about the premium increase. I'm looking at a 25% increase in premium and that's on top of a 40% increase last year and the policy copays are higher. They justify the increase by saying healthcare cost is increasing. The 2010 estimate of healthcare cost increase is only 6% and it was 10% last year meanwhile healthcare profits increased 56% in 2009 and are projected to have another good increase in 2010. And don't say go shop for another insurer. Most Americans have no choice. They are stuck with the insurer their company selects. So will insurance companies blame premium increase on the new healthcare law. You bet they will and the administration should speak out.

Are the insurers lying? Sebelius is claiming that no more than 2% of the rate increase is the fault of Obamacare, and threatening the insurers for mentioning it at all.

 

[JakeStarkey]

They will have the defense of truth if that is so. If not, they pay the price, provided they are even let back in to the game.

 

[CaféAuLait]

Yet more evidence that we live in a Thugocracy:

President Barack Obama's top health official on Thursday warned the insurance industry that the administration won't tolerate blaming premium hikes on the new health overhaul law.

"There will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a letter to the insurance lobby.

"Simply stated, we will not stand idly by as insurers blame their premium hikes and increased profits on the requirement that they provide consumers with basic protections," Sebelius said. She warned that bad actors may be excluded from new health insurance markets that will open in 2014 under the law. They'd lose out on a big pool of customers, as many as 30 million people nationwide....

HHS to insurers: Don't blame us for your rates - Yahoo! News


Sebelius is essentially threatening insurers to shut up or risk being denied the business to be doles out by the government. This is what happens when Big Government runs amok.

Thank you for the article, here is another which says the rates will rise and Obama's caveats to his words are forced because the 'health care plan is not having the desired effect'. Exactly what was said before this mess was enacted.

From MSNBC no less:


Health care politics run into economic reality

President forced to add caveats to promises made during height of debate

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told voters repeatedly during the health care debate that the overhaul legislation would bring down fast-rising health care costs and save them money. Now, he's hemming and hawing on that.

Health care politics run into economic reality - Politics - White House - msnbc.com

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Yet more evidence that we live in a Thugocracy:

President Barack Obama's top health official on Thursday warned the insurance industry that the administration won't tolerate blaming premium hikes on the new health overhaul law.

"There will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a letter to the insurance lobby.

"Simply stated, we will not stand idly by as insurers blame their premium hikes and increased profits on the requirement that they provide consumers with basic protections," Sebelius said. She warned that bad actors may be excluded from new health insurance markets that will open in 2014 under the law. They'd lose out on a big pool of customers, as many as 30 million people nationwide....

HHS to insurers: Don't blame us for your rates - Yahoo! News


Sebelius is essentially threatening insurers to shut up or risk being denied the business to be doles out by the government. This is what happens when Big Government runs amok.

Thank you for the article, here is another which says the rates will rise and Obama's caveats to his words are forced because the 'health care plan is not having the desired effect'. Exactly what was said before this mess was enacted.

From MSNBC no less:


Health care politics run into economic reality

President forced to add caveats to promises made during height of debate

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told voters repeatedly during the health care debate that the overhaul legislation would bring down fast-rising health care costs and save them money. Now, he's hemming and hawing on that.

Health care politics run into economic reality - Politics - White House - msnbc.com

Memo to Gates:

Cut off MSNBC's access to our inner circle, they have joined the dark side.

The One.

 

[Flopper]

So you are saying it's ok for health insurance companies to lie to their customers about the reasons for increases in premiums and the administration should say nothing? I think it's about time someone spoke out about the premium increase. I'm looking at a 25% increase in premium and that's on top of a 40% increase last year and the policy copays are higher. They justify the increase by saying healthcare cost is increasing. The 2010 estimate of healthcare cost increase is only 6% and it was 10% last year meanwhile healthcare profits increased 56% in 2009 and are projected to have another good increase in 2010. And don't say go shop for another insurer. Most Americans have no choice. They are stuck with the insurer their company selects. So will insurance companies blame premium increase on the new healthcare law. You bet they will and the administration should speak out.

Are the insurers lying? Sebelius is claiming that no more than 2% of the rate increase is the fault of Obamacare, and threatening the insurers for mentioning it at all.

Well, in the past they have had no problem lying about reasons for their huge premium increases. I have no reason to believe that's going to change. I would think the new healthcare law will be an ideal scapegoat to blame rate increases and decreases in service.

Insurance companies do not make money paying claims. They money by collecting premiums. The more claims they can deny and higher they push their premiums, the higher the profits.