Should Health Insurers be Exempt from Anti-Trust Laws?

[rayboyusmc]

The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to strip federal antitrust protections shielding health insurers from investigations into price fixing and other business practices, the first step in a legislative bid to clamp down on the much-maligned industry.

washingtonpost.com

 

[Charles Stucker]

It sounds as it they are not. The problem appears to be spotty enforcement at the state level where it currently resides. I doubt the solution is to move regulation to the federal level.

 

[Cecilie1200]

As usual, we're starting with a false liberal premise - in this case, the idea that government intervention in the private sector in the form of "trustbusting" is a good thing - and then trying to proceed on to even more egregious nonsense.

Rather than extending antitrust legislation to health insurance companies, I think the government ought to get the hell out of antitrust activities altogether. It's garbage, and helps no one except the OTHER businesses that the government is, de facto, showing favoritism toward by interfering with their more successful competitors.

 

[Contumacious]

Should Health Insurers be Exempt from Anti-Trust Laws?]

The Constitution adopted in 1787 exempts all businesses from anti-trust laws.


The Welfare/Warfare State Constitution does not.

.

 

[veritas]

No.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to strip federal antitrust protections shielding health insurers from investigations into price fixing and other business practices, the first step in a legislative bid to clamp down on the much-maligned industry.

washingtonpost.com

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_C992KPzKs]YouTube - Two Minutes Hate[/ame]

The Insurance Companiessssssssssssssss We Hates them!!!!

 

[MaggieMae]

The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to strip federal antitrust protections shielding health insurers from investigations into price fixing and other business practices, the first step in a legislative bid to clamp down on the much-maligned industry.

washingtonpost.com

NO!!! And neither should banks.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

All businesses should be exempt from Anti-Trust laws. Though a better question is will the government's public option be exempt from Anti-Trust laws? My guess would be that it will be, despite it inevitably becoming a real monopoly.

 

[MaggieMae]

It sounds as it they are not. The problem appears to be spotty enforcement at the state level where it currently resides. I doubt the solution is to move regulation to the federal level.

But these monopolies (by Blue Cross for example) prohibit by law the purchase of an insurance policy from another insurer in another state as dictated by each state's own insurance regulatory agency. How does that fall within any free market parameters if people are restricted from buying insurance from whom and wherever they want?

 

[Cecilie1200]

Should Health Insurers be Exempt from Anti-Trust Laws?]

The Constitution adopted in 1787 exempts all businesses from anti-trust laws.


The Welfare/Warfare State Constitution does not.

.

Constitution. As if anyone's paying attention to THAT any more.

 

[garyd]

So state reguations are the problem than and the feds are moving to rid us of those good deal...

 

[Chris]

Teddy Roosevelt would be proud.

Screw the insurance companies.

 

[Sinatra]

It would seem government is the single largest and most powerful trust of all...

 

[Sinatra]

Teddy Roosevelt would be proud.

Screw the insurance companies.

Why Teddy?

He wasn't the biggest presidential trust buster!!!

Crack a book you silly gnat!!!!!

 

[Chris]

Teddy Roosevelt would be proud.

Screw the insurance companies.

Why Teddy?

He wasn't the biggest presidential trust buster!!!

Crack a book you silly gnat!!!!!

Roosevelt became president at the age of 42, the youngest age of taking office of any U.S. President in history.[5] Roosevelt attempted to move the Republican Party in the direction of Progressivism, including trust busting and increased regulation of businesses. Roosevelt coined the phrase "Square Deal" to describe his domestic agenda, emphasizing that the average citizen would get a fair shake under his policies.

Theodore Roosevelt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Sinatra]

Teddy Roosevelt would be proud.

Screw the insurance companies.

Why Teddy?

He wasn't the biggest presidential trust buster!!!

Crack a book you silly gnat!!!!!

Roosevelt became president at the age of 42, the youngest age of taking office of any U.S. President in history.[5] Roosevelt attempted to move the Republican Party in the direction of Progressivism, including trust busting and increased regulation of businesses. Roosevelt coined the phrase "Square Deal" to describe his domestic agenda, emphasizing that the average citizen would get a fair shake under his policies.

Theodore Roosevelt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That is what you call cracking a book - WIKI???

Go out and discover the #1 Big Prez Trust Buster.

For God's sake man, get to learnin' something!!!!

 

[Chris]

Why Teddy?

He wasn't the biggest presidential trust buster!!!

Crack a book you silly gnat!!!!!

Roosevelt became president at the age of 42, the youngest age of taking office of any U.S. President in history.[5] Roosevelt attempted to move the Republican Party in the direction of Progressivism, including trust busting and increased regulation of businesses. Roosevelt coined the phrase "Square Deal" to describe his domestic agenda, emphasizing that the average citizen would get a fair shake under his policies.

Theodore Roosevelt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That is what you call cracking a book - WIKI???

Go out and discover the #1 Big Prez Trust Buster.

For God's sake man, get to learnin' something!!!!

Roosevelt pioneered trust busting and picked Taft as his successor.

You need to learn not to assume.

 

[Sinatra]

Roosevelt became president at the age of 42, the youngest age of taking office of any U.S. President in history.[5] Roosevelt attempted to move the Republican Party in the direction of Progressivism, including trust busting and increased regulation of businesses. Roosevelt coined the phrase "Square Deal" to describe his domestic agenda, emphasizing that the average citizen would get a fair shake under his policies.

Theodore Roosevelt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That is what you call cracking a book - WIKI???

Go out and discover the #1 Big Prez Trust Buster.

For God's sake man, get to learnin' something!!!!

Roosevelt pioneered trust busting and picked Taft as his successor.

You need to learn not to assume.

Well at least now you are starting to learn some actual real factual history!!!

Now keep reading for God's sake - the world needs less ignorance - and go back before Teddy you intellectual gnat!!!! Who actually pioneered US Trust busting????

 

[rayboyusmc]

As usual, we're starting with a false liberal premise

As usual, we are getting a conservative line of bullshit. I posted a question, not a fucking premise.

The fact that the current insurance companies can screw us, deny us and charge us whatever they want, is just fucking fine by the right until they lose their coverage and one of their kids or spouse is denied care.

They aren't regulated now and look at how their premiums have climbed compared to the rise in salaries.

Like I said, proctologists must really love you folks on the right.

 

[MaggieMae]

As usual, we're starting with a false liberal premise

As usual, we are getting a conservative line of bullshit. I posted a question, not a fucking premise.

The fact that the current insurance companies can screw us, deny us and charge us whatever they want, is just fucking fine by the right until they lose their coverage and one of their kids or spouse is denied care.

They aren't regulated now and look at how their premiums have climbed compared to the rise in salaries.

Like I said, proctologists must really love you folks on the right.

Well? Ya just don't mess with their ideology, is all. Protect the rights of the private sector, even in the face of robbing people blind. I'm even hearing some on the right screeching that the Big Banks shouldn't be forced to give up their bonuses and fat paychecks, even though they OWE that money to the taxpayers. Unfuckingbelievable.