Breaking - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson shot and killed outside Manhattan Hilton hotel

[EckoRomeo]

People want "no denials and no prior authorizations."
But they absolutely do not want to pay the PREMIUM for that luxury.

People want "no illegal immigration."
But they absolutely want the roof (deck, siding, concrete pad, framing job, farm help) for $9,275 and not $16,500.

Denials and Prior Auth are here to stay.

Exactly...

What people want and what people will pay for are two totally different things. Just look at the Medicare market. An every growing majority elect to be subject to restrictions of a health insurance company rather than pay to be free of the very same PA's and denials that they complain about.

 

[scagnt83]

An every growing majority elect to be subject to restrictions of a health insurance company rather than pay to be free of the very same PA's and denials that they complain about.

They still pay for it. Just through taxes. Over half a trillion of our taxes this year to subsidize those low MA premiums.

Same pot, different pocket.
Out of sight, out of mind.

 

[EckoRomeo]

They still pay for it. Just through taxes. Over half a trillion of our taxes this year to subsidize those low MA premiums.

Same pot, different pocket.
Out of sight, out of mind.

No, they don't.

 

[Millwood]

Centene cancels in-person investor day in NYC, will be held virtually

Thompson was murdered Wednesday by a gunman outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, where the company was hosting an Investor Day event later in the day.

www.ksdk.com

Centene is afraid a 100,000 Wellcare agents who had their commission stolen are going to show up and try to put a cap in Centenes' management

 

[annon123]

Its interesting to see how the focus has shifted from the actual murder to the job the victim had. The general public doesn't understand insurance (of any kind) and most media coverage of the insurance industry is agenda driven. Which makes them easy to demonize.

Again, I'm not saying health insurance companies are perfect and do no wrong, but much of the public negative perception of them is based on ignorance of how insurance works, and biased media coverage.

Part of the problem is our, in effect, for profit medical system in this country. Costs would be lower, thus insurance rates would be lower, if all health care organizations were non-profit organizations. There would be no need to have "extra" money to pay bonuses, stockholders, etc. as in non-profits any money received above costs would need to be sunk back into the medical system. Actually insurance costs would be lower too if all insurance companies operated under non-profit rules. And of course this is not going to happen but it does drive up costs. Someone has to pay for the "for profit" side of the company/organization/health care system... and that someone is the user/customer of it if the government isn't going to make it all free (of course then taxes go up so it is just paid for in a different way).

 

[EckoRomeo]

Part of the problem is our, in effect, for profit medical system in this country. Costs would be lower, thus insurance rates would be lower, if all health care organizations were non-profit organizations. There would be no need to have "extra" money to pay bonuses, stockholders, etc. as in non-profits any money received above costs would need to be sunk back into the medical system. Actually insurance costs would be lower too if all insurance companies operated under non-profit rules. And of course this is not going to happen but it does drive up costs. Someone has to pay for the "for profit" side of the company/organization/health care system... and that someone is the user/customer of it if the government isn't going to make it all free (of course then taxes go up so it is just paid for in a different way).

Why are BCBS plans no cheaper than UHC?

 

[annon123]

Why are BCBS plans no cheaper than UHC?

I don't know for certain however I would suspect because UHC is community rated with the first 10 years prior to 2020 with signup and, I think it is 15 years after 2020 sign up, have declining discounts (so more or less like age attained mixed with age signed up but based on a community rated risk pool) and BCBS is not that this might contribute to that. Also with them having so much of the market share/have a large number of customers in their risk pools, the effect of one very expensive person is less than if the pool is smaller. And, of course, as people age, the community rated risk pool would keep prices down for the "older" elderly.

 

[EckoRomeo]

I don't know for certain however I would suspect because UHC is community rated with the first 10 years prior to 2020 with signup and, I think it is 15 years after 2020 sign up, have declining discounts (so more or less like age attained mixed with age signed up but based on a community rated risk pool) and BCBS is not that this might contribute to that. Also with them having so much of the market share/have a large number of customers in their risk pools, the effect of one very expensive person is less than if the pool is smaller. And, of course, as people age, the community rated risk pool would keep prices down for the "older" elderly.

Sooo... nonprofit health insurers aren't lower cost than for-profit? Got it...

 

[annon123]

Sooo... nonprofit health insurers aren't lower cost than for-profit? Got it...

They have less incentive to charge more because they don't need to give money to shareholders and bonuses for execs. How much they'd cost depends on the state, the kind of risk pool, etc. They don't have to factor in added "profit" costs. That would drive costs down for non-profits. Of course most of the insurance companies out there are for profit.

 

[ICACharleston]

Why are BCBS plans no cheaper than UHC?

Some of the Blues are non-profit. None of them are the Salvation Army. Google their exec comp. Not too far from UHC.