"...reign in the insurance companies"??!!?

Do you think that the insurance companies wanted this?

Quit blaming everybody but your politicians! If something bad is done to other humans, don't blame the companies who can't force anything on anybody...look to the politicians behind the scenes who make bad policy, oppression, slavery, genocide and war into law!

No, of course they don't want this, that's why the insurance companies will pass along this cost to us so that they can maintain their high profit margins. They are a for-profit business - they don't care about the effects of this law or your health and they will not just roll over and take the loss. If you bothered to read my submittal, I am sorry you were unable to see that I was saying that the politicians lacked common sense in passing this legislation. You may not be paying your $75 dollar co-pay next month, but next year you and everyone else will see an increased premium to your health cost as a result of the insurance companies costs to recover from this. Now taking it one step farther, if a company's goal is to make unreasonable profit rather than look after your healthcare then something should be done. And yes they should be blamed, healthcare costs are out of control and the insurance companies make millions off of us as a result. When the government passes useless laws which don't protect anyone and maintain the insurance companies multi-million dollar profit margin without protecting us then there is a problem both with the insurance companies and our short-sighted politicians. This is not the answer.

Georghai, I did read your post. I agree with some of it; particularly where you fault politicians. You sound like a reasonable person and I hope you’re not taking my venting personally.

My quibble is that you put any significant blame on such a heavily regulated, litigated, taxed/subsidized/favored/abused industry like insurance.

I’ve worked in the medical business since 1978 in research, clinical and industry roles. I know why anything related to healthcare is so !#$? expensive, and it has little to do with insurance companies. It’s not even because physicians unionized 150 years ago.

Here’re some of my thoughts on the subject: http://wedeclare.wordpress.com/2009/09/

But I’ve a couple of questions for you:

Who makes you buy insurance? Who made third-party payers seem reasonable, and who tied health insurance to employment in the first place? Who makes the rules for insurance companies? Who makes the rules by which you can even put money aside for healthcare?

Mostly…

Who removes all other options?

It’s not the insurance companies!

I can answer your questions with two bodies - our government and the insurance company lobbyists. When I was younger, I had insurance but lost it for a short period between jobs. I hurt my back and when I went to the doctor he charged me less than what he would have charged the insurance company. If I had insurance my premiums and co-pay would have covered the cost of the visit. Two rates for the same coverage doesn't seem fair to me. I believe that of politicians regulated the insurance companies, instead of defining what is covered then costs would be cheaper for everyone. Mind you, I am not intersted in social healthcare either.

The lobbyists can't buy what politicians won't sell!

But I suppose I should explain where I'm coming from.

1. People, in general, suck. If that were not so then we wouldn't tolerate/need that violence we call "politics."

2. Government/politics is violence. If a gang of thugs gets enough power, it becomes government. Power attracts the worst sorts, obviously, so human government has, for as long as there've been humans, demonstrated a 100% failure rate.

3. Because people suck (particularly the people in politics), and government has a practical monopoly on every sort of violence, oppression, slavery, genocide and war, there are those who'd seek to buy a bit of that damaging power for their own uses.

4. See number 1.

But it sounds like we don't have very much of an argument; there's bad behavior enough to go around. My biggest concern is that about 90-98% of voters have chosen this repetitively for the past hundred years or so, and I wish we'd stop that.

What we need is another Nancy Reagan, it was HER policies that were mouthed by Ronnee... her actor husband did little in eight years except benefit the hair dye products industry and build up the military industrial complex which is now breaking America's budget.

Why should I have higher insurance premiums, the costs will be passed on, for something that I will never have a need for?

There are several ways to stop unwanted pregnancies that are safer and more effective than pills.

We The People have what We The People have voted for.

If you don't like it, then talk to your neighbors. Seriously. It's time we break that taboo of "no talking politics."

Politics is killing us. We really ought to talk about that.

How can you say that religious groups won't have to participate?

Are insurance companies religious groups now?

What gives the fed govt. the right to tell a company that it must give away "free" anything?

My local quick stop doesn't give out free condoms, that I know of, why not them next in the name of stopping unwanted pregnancies?