Rising insurance premiums

1. 60

   Josakposted 12 years ago

   Premiums are going up it must be Obamacare's fault! In fact premium rose 131% from 1999 to 2009, before Obamacare existed AND Obamacare has several sections devoted to slowing the rate rise, including rate review no longer allowing insurance companies to make big profit based cost raises.
   http://business.time.com/2009/09/16/hea … ten-years/

   replyreport
   1. 76

      wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah - you gotta love the socialist concept of slowing the rise.
      
      Set the doctor's price for him, probably to the bankruptcy point.
      Set the insurance company price, probably to the bankruptcy point.
      Set the hospital price, probably to the bankruptcy point.
      
      That's worked really every time it's tried.  We'll just have to learn to graze the yard like goats instead of visiting the grocery store.  If we still have a yard to graze....

      replyreport
      1. 60

         Josakposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         No prices are not set for them, they are just not allowed to rise more than I believe 2% for profit, they can rise to meet inflation in the sector obviously.
         
         SO it's impossible for that to drive anyone into bankruptcy.

         replyreport
         1. 61

            tirelesstravelerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            They are preparing for doctor shortages in CA, by letting nurse practitioners do abortions, optometrists treat any kind of illness as a primary doctor. Honest that is a bill from last week.

            replyreport
            1. 76

               wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Preparing?  Southern California hardly has a doctor left, and more than one hospital has already closed due to providing care for Mexican citizens without collecting even their costs.  A precursor to what the rest of the country will now see.

               replyreport
         2. 76

            wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Ah.  They will have twice the customer base, twice the customers to pay medical care for, but the same profit.  That they will need twice the employees to handle the load, twice the needed building, beds, etc., and that cost will come from profits, doesn't matter does it?

            replyreport
            1. 60

               Josakposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Are you actually serious? profit margins, I thought that was obvious. The same profit margins. So obviously what you are listing as a problem is not one, does your state not have cost review? Many states do.
               
               More people need to read this bill I swear.

               replyreport
               1. 76

                  wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Profit margin as in percentage of income?  Or percentage of costs?
                  
                  You must forgive me, Josak.  We were told the cost of medical insurance (care) in the US was going to decrease as we insured an additional 50 million people, encouraging them to visit a doctor for every sniffle.  Reasonable people didn't believe it, and have been proven right as the twisted projections are finally being questioned.
                  
                  Now you claim insurance costs will go down, but I don't believe that either.  Bringing on board millions of people with severe medical problems isn't going to do much to decrease insurance costs.
                  
                  You want to look at a recent slowing of premium increases (increases mind you) without ever looking at the ever decreasing quality of care (HMO's, limited doctor/hospital choice, etc.) as indicative that costs will fall.  I still don't swallow it.

                  replyreport
2. 54

   Education Answerposted 12 years ago

   My premiums have skyrocketed in the past few years.  I don't know if it is or isn't Obamacare that has caused this, but it's disheartening. The quality of my insurance has been downgraded four times in four years, and my premiums have increased four times in four years; there has been more volatility in my insurance in the past four years than I had in the previous sixteen.

   replyreport
   1. 60

      Josakposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well the average premium growth from 1999 to 2009 yearly is about 13%, last year premium growth was just 3.8%. So in my mind that is progress.

      replyreport
      1. 54

         Education Answerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That may be, but I experienced massive premium increases in the last four years, along with a significant drop in my insurance quality.  I'm not claiming Obamacare is or isn't the cause.  It's just a fact.  Take if for what it is or isn't worth.  I guess I should be happy that I still have insurance.  By the way, we're already being told that there will be another "undetermined" premium increase for next year.

         replyreport