My Health Insurance Cost

[dan k.]

I found out today my insurance cost will increase from $204.94 to $398.27 on January 1st (My renewal date). Isn't that special? I have very basic insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield. I did know this would happen, just not this quickly. Reasons given by BCBSNC for increased costs:

1) No preferred rate based on gender or health status.
2) New required essential health benefits (Maternity and newborn care, dental and vision for children, habilative care,, increased benefits for mental health and substance abuse)
3) Coverage available for everyone (mandated guareantee for coverage for everyone)
4) New taxes and fees

So in summary, I should close my business, go on welfare and unemployment, do drugs, grab an obama phone, and have babies.

[Miles]

Shop around. I lowered my family plan from 629 to 393. I went from Coventry to Humana. My coverage is still kind of crappy, but it's the same as I had before.

[Ken Lago]

I think the reason insurance prices are going up is for the same reason Dan raised his prices when the economy tanked.

[Dan R.]

Insurance companies raise their prices for one reason only....they can!

The entire insurance industry is built on a cost plus basis and is heavily regulated by the government, with a wink and a nod. insurance companies refer to paid claims as losses. I friend of mine works at State farm and he was belly aching how State Farm had millions in losses one quarter. I asked him how can you have a loss of millions and report a quarterly profit of $1.2B? He explained that losses were just payments and not net losses in the business sense.

Ken, I think your assessment of my prognostication is spot on!!

[Mark Meriaux]

So in summary, I should close my business, go on welfare and unemployment, do drugs, grab an obama phone, and have babies.

This idea is what could happen if productive people decide to stop producing. Reminds me of the story of the internet story/myth? where the teacher educates the class about socialism by giving all students collectively the same average grade....

[dan k.]

My wife found out recently when visiting her Doctor that the new medical guideline for pap smears is 3 years. Can we just start smacking all the Liberals who back Obamacare? Or is that a little too much?

[Dan R.]

That is a relatively quick time in Government's mind.

Out of the thousands and thousands programs administered by the government, name 3 that the government has actually run efficiently or made better. That is what I thought.

Start smacking, at will, imo.

[Miles]

It does make you wonder how all other countries do it. And live longer than we do. And at a much lower cost.

[Miles]

I meant to say all other countries and the state of Massachusetts.

[Dan R.]

They do not pay for their own defense, for a start. the US taxpayers do for the most part.

What countries are? Spain, France, Italy, Greece?

France has a 75% top tax rate!!

No system is perfect. Those other systems must have short comings, or their politicians are honest...

Why does the King of Norway come to the Mayo clinic for healthcare?

[dan k.]

It does make you wonder how all other countries do it. And live longer than we do. And at a much lower cost.

Doesn't make me wonder. I don't want to be like those other Countries. I want to be the Country that everyone with ambition wants to come to. Common sense should always rule the day.

[Ken Lago]

They do not pay for their own defense, for a start. the US taxpayers do for the most part.

What countries are? Spain, France, Italy, Greece?

France has a 75% top tax rate!!

No system is perfect. Those other systems must have short comings, or their politicians are honest...

Why does the King of Norway come to te Mayo clinic for healthcare?

All systems have short comings and politicians will only stay honest if they have a big hammer looming over their head.

[Miles]

We need to stop paying for other people's defense and elect honest politicians. The way to do that is to get money out of politics. They are all bought and paid for.

[Darryl Miller]

We need to stop paying for other people's defense and elect honest politicians. The way to do that is to get money out of politics. They are all bought and paid for.

There's still hope for you after all Miles! just teasing you, but I do agree with that statement.

[Darryl Miller]

I meant to say all other countries and the state of Massachusetts.

Based on that, I guess you agree we should have elected Romney.

[Miles]

I did agree with him on universal healthcare!

[steven nenzel]

There was universal healthcare before Obamacare... emergency takes everyone.

No question the system is messed up... you believe it is the private sector that has caused it and most of the rest of use believe it is the government that has caused the problems. Government runs the schools and we know the result, government runs social security and we know it will be (or is currently) bankrupt, government runs ...etc, etc, etc and we know the result. Because the healthcare system has been less than ideal your solution is to hand it over to gov't because they do such a better job than anything we as private citizens can create and build? Can you seriously believe this?

Goverment has been in knee deep in the delivering of healthcare before Obamacare and now they are neck deep. How does Obama care deal with costs of delivering healthcare? Where is the tort reform? What does Obamacare do to increase competition (or has it just reduced competition). What are the incentives for taking care of your health within Obamacare? If I decide to put on 100 lbs what difference does that make to my premium?

Miles and Ken, why is it you can't see the good of the private sector. You own companies that deliver a good product for a fair price. You can do it but those "other" people are all immoral greedy profiteers?

I just don't get how you can't see how big gov't fcks nearly everything up. Yeah, there people within private companies that do bad things and that is exactly why we need free enterprise and less regulations to allow easier entry into markets and provide consumers with options and choices. The answer is not to decrease competition, create entry barriers and limit consumer choice.

[Ken Lago]

Miles and Ken, why is it you can't see the good of the private sector. You own companies that deliver a good product for a fair price. You can do it but those "other" people are all immoral greedy profiteers?

Steven, I can see a hell of a lot of good in the private sector, what in heavens name have I said that let you to believe I don't? As far as greedy immoral profiteers I was talking mostly about corporations who answers to share holders that demands profit over anything else, are they all the same? no they are not.
Please explain to me why the free market US health care and medication system is the best, not only is it the most expensive many times over in the world, but have also through stupids amounts of advertizing invented non existing ailments purely to sell drugs that require more drugs to combat the side effects bla bla. The big drug manufactures are making the drugs they can make most profit on, they don't want to make drugs that can cure real deceases because the roi is substantially lower. Open any healthy US family's medicin cabinet and tell me its not stupid what you see. Is it not true that doctors over prescribe in order to make more money? Today most antibiotics are totally ineffective due to over use.
You agree the system is messed up but what would you do to fix what you see is wrong?

I'm just saying gov regulation is needed in health care but it also require gov is not corrupted by money.

[Dan R.]

I do not know that that the US health care is the most expensive in the world. From what I am hear about Obamacare is that prices are going even higher by factors up to and over 10 x. How does that make it "affordable". Government intrusion is just that an INTRUSION into free will and choice.Free will and choice is what made America great.

Ken, as a shareholder of your company, what is your priority? You may spout some customer service BS, but in reality it is about making money for you and your family. Just like a large corporation. If you wanted to truly help people, why not work at a break even price, like you expect of others? Or better yet, below price, because your wife has a job and support the family and your portion of the family income is excessive and others need it more? is that why you work 16 hour days and take pride in owning all this Shite! No, you are rightfully proud of your accomplishments and the rewards that come with them. As you should be. If you want to give your money away, it should be of your choosing, not the government's.

Why did Ken, Steven, Ravin and other migrate to the USA? Because of the freebie government programs? No because of the free market and the opportunity, safety and living conditions.

Big drug companies are protected by big government, so are is big insurance. They both are also heavily regulated, causing higher prices.

My medicine cabinet has one bottle Excedrin Extra strength aspirin. People are led to everything these days through advertisement, incentives and lies. Same path that Obamacare is taking. Any coincidence? i think not

the latest is that the government is saying that the evil insurance companies are canceling policies not the government. When, in fact, those policies being cancelled are illegal under Obamacare, because the health care bill outlawed them.More double talk, more lies and the people just get dumber and dumber and believe what they are told. Watch the old movie Soylent Green. We may be heading there faster than imagined.

[Ken Lago]

I do not know that that the US health care is the most expensive in the world. From what I am hear about Obamacare is that prices are going even higher by factors up to and over 10 x. How does that make it "affordable". Government intrusion is just that an INTRUSION into free will and choice.Free will and choice is what made America great.

Ken, as a shareholder of your company, what is your priority? You may spout some customer service BS, but in reality it is about making money for you and your family. Just like a large corporation. If you wanted to truly help people, why not work at a break even price, like you expect of others? Or better yet, below price, because your wife has a job and support the family and your portion of the family income is excessive and others need it more? is that why you work 16 hour days and take pride in owning all this Shite! No, you are rightfully proud of your accomplishments and the rewards that come with them. As you should be. If you want to give your money away, it should be of your choosing, not the government's.

Why did Ken, Steven, Ravin and other migrate to the USA? Because of the freebie government programs? No because of the free market and the opportunity, safety and living conditions.

Big drug companies are protected by big government, so are is big insurance. They both are also heavily regulated, causing higher prices.

My medicine cabinet has one bottle Excedrin Extra strength aspirin. People are led to everything these days through advertisement, incentives and lies. Same path that Obamacare is taking. Any coincidence? i think not

the latest is that the government is saying that the evil insurance companies are canceling policies not the government. When, in fact, those policies being cancelled are illegal under Obamacare, because the health care bill outlawed them.More double talk, more lies and the people just get dumber and dumber and believe what they are told. Watch the old movie Soylent Green. We may be heading there faster than imagined.

Dan, I agree with everything you just said but when it comes to a citizens safety, which I believe medicine and health care is, I think breaking even is a noble goal.
Why is no one talking about privatizing the police force or is government doing ok there?

Dan, you know your medicine cabinet is not a reflection of the average US family

[Dan R.]

Privatized prisons are a reality.

Everyone is for safety. i just do not think that the government is the best choice to dictate the standards while controlling the destiny of the private companies through regulation. Their seems to be a potential for conflict of interest, bribes and other behavior detrimental to the general public. Crooked politicians with no responsibility or consequences...

[Ken Lago]

I guess you are probably right. The real problem is the level of corruptness in the people who runs this show.

[Jeff H.]

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos ... 1204_n.jpg

[politefab]

this is a pretty cool interview.

I vote every year but it is always for the lesser of 2 evils. The way we elect our politicians needs to change or nuting will ever change. Our country is run strictly on greed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLYcn3PuTTk

[Darryl Miller]

I guess you are probably right. The real problem is the level of corruptness in the people who runs this show.

:=D>