Make It Though the House?

[HealthGuy]

John: What is so wrong with say a 5 or 10K HSA? I write a ton of 10K family HSAs. Sprinkle in a little preventative on the front end, layer it with a supplemental accident plan if you like, and don't go to the Dr. for every little thing.

Healthcare is just plain expensive. 5 and 10K deductibles reflect the cost of care in our country. It is what it is.

This bill does nothing to lower the costs of insurance or care.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Lowing the cost? We all know the truth. The day I'm waiting for when this all passes, signed and sealed then in say...2011 the carriers along with the public option lay the rates on Obama's desk; "Ok chief, here they are."

Obama scans the rates; "whoaa, wait. What's this $550/mo for a young single column mean?"

Obama can sign anything he wants into law. Implementation? You think it would be 2012 as written in the bill? Guess again.

The whacked out left just KNOWS the public option will have that "$400/mo" rate for husband 55, wife 55, two kids. The're all going to go bat-sh*it crazy when they see those rates. Remember, most of the whacked out left are limousine liberals who won't qualify for tax credits.

 

[ins.dave]

I'm self-employed but Maryland doesn't recognize me as a business so I can't get a group plan. Right now my wife would not pass through underwriting again (and she's healthy on no meds, perfect weight) so I guess we'll sit a bake as our premiums increase around 15% on average. Oh....unless our carrier closes the block.

This system is broke - badly. Underwriting is indeed a joke when they have my wife on the phone for 45 minutes over a condition she doesn't have.

Without reform, mark my words, within 5 years we'll all be writing 10K HSAs or 5K PPO's with $5K OOP's without office copays. That's where this is all heading. Think your business will increase then? What's 20% of 2 deals a week.

My career has already been hurt. Sure, I make 20%+ commission but how many deals have I lost both in underwriting and apps I never submitted because they didn't qualify? I can't do that kind of math without using the NASA computer.

I'll take 10% any given day of the week is underwriting is sidelined. I'm even in the game at 5% but I'd heavily cross-sell.

P. sausage, for the record, we write more 5000+ deductible plans than anything ... at least we used to before this socialistic shake down began. I'm with ya bra, but i don't get yer point on that one.
C'mon, it is impossible to speculate about what the market would be with GI as far as commissions go.
The products would be totally different, as well as prices and commissions ... if they even existed anymore. This exchange idea? More of the same. The Feds get in there ... it's over guys.
Frankly, I think it would be an absolute disaster, not only for us but the economy in general but hey ... i'm just concerned about my "6 figure income ..."

The idea of combining GI with the medically underwritten market is beyond irrational. It won't happen. Period. That's a phase out move. Get your frigg'n tuque and bobsled ready cause you'll be a f*ck'n Canadian. Trust me, everybody will be learning a whole lot more patience.

 

[ins.dave]

I must've missed something. Who's Tina?

For Pete sakes ... hello? SNL
That means Saturday Night Live ... although I haven't watched it in years.

"Whose Tina Fey ...?"

P.S. She's kinda hot.
More than Pelosi.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Al, it's not merely greed. I have no problem contributing to those less fortunate than me. But there also needs to be some kind of balance so I'm not contributing to people who have the means and say "screw it" or 2 pack a day smokers 100 pounds overweight who just don't care about themselves.

I think legislation mixed with some personal responsibility would play out a bit better.

Under this current bill the penalty is 2.5% of AGI. So someone earning say $80,000 with the means can say "ahhh, screw it" and sit out until he gets sick, then grab a plan and get treatment. Again, we need a sense of fairness.

If we want to mandate this than mandate it. No coverage? The penalty is 110% of what your premium would have cost. I wonder how many people would be driving without insurance if the maximum penalty was $50.

Sorry but that's my belief. No, I don't give money to people begging at intersections. Why? Because for every one of them there's a family out there busting their a** working 2 jobs and struggling. I'd rather give my money to them.

 

[ins.dave]

Al, it's not merely greed. I have no problem contributing to those less fortunate than me. But there also needs to be some kind of balance so I'm not contributing to people who have the means and say "screw it" or 2 pack a day smokers 100 pounds overweight who just don't care about themselves.

I think legislation mixed with some personal responsibility would play out a bit better.

Under this current bill the penalty is 2.5% of AGI. So someone earning say $80,000 with the means can say "ahhh, screw it" and sit out until he gets sick, then grab a plan and get treatment. Again, we need a sense of fairness.

If we want to mandate this than mandate it. No coverage? The penalty is 110% of what your premium would have cost. I wonder how many people would be driving without insurance if the maximum penalty was $50.

Sorry but that's my belief. No, I don't give money to people begging at intersections. Why? Because for every one of them there's a family out there busting their a** working 2 jobs and struggling. I'd rather give my money to them.

Ah, let's face it.
We're all trying to quantify this numerically. The fact is the current admin. wants this to be a disaster so that they can take the sh*t over.
The word is sabatoge.
Trying to get Al3 to get it is a waste of time. The guy makes a bit odf supplemental income on top of his teacher's retirement ... she hock's some term life, etc. on occaison. A non entity in the indie health game, he wants to piss on the parade of others. I meant p*ss. Ooooopps.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/health/policy/25view.html?_r=1

 

[agentinsure]

AL# has again not failed me with his constant display of ignorance. While he is focused on and extolling the virtues of his lame ass liberal party favors, the carriers, the real players are sure to be the real benefactors from this mayhem caused yet again by our misguided legislators.

What's the matter, you don't believe so? Consider then that the HMO carriers away more $$ to the dem's than to the neo-cons last go around. And ask yourself if this was an industry truly in fight for it's very survival do you think they play as hard as they could of? Accordingly the markets have known some type of reform has been in the making yet in the past few weeks most of their equities are being bid above their 200 day moving averages while much of the market is languishing on concerns of growing budget deficits. Quite to the contrary, I believe it is very likely they enabled themselves to be somewhat vilified by the media to help lead towards reform. This was all about appearances and the liberals fell right into it. Imagine being a market player in a business where government mandates with the threat of fines and imprisonment you purchase the products offered. Could a business model ask for anything better???? Think about this; the govt will mandate our customers buy our products, and for those who can ill afford it the gov't will help them pay for it...sweeeeeeet!

You AL3 and all the other would be do – gooders who lack an understand for free markets are being played for a fool and the insurance carriers are loving you today.

As for us little agents, this thing about exchanges, is it really any different than the competition most of us heed daily anyway? Ehealth has submitted bids already to drive the technology for some of the state exchanges as they are doing in Utah already. Does this mean all our customers will dry up? As a Health agent I am excited about what is coming, as an American and a parent I am deeply concerned for the future of what was once a great nation. And if you can't see that or appreciate this than consider the fact India was in the spot market last week buying millions of ounces of gold, not dollars as before, but gold. And consider the fact that they have the wealth to do so as does China, while Geithner grovels to our trading partners for a further extension on our credit card. Sorry Al3 but you lose and at the rate our brain dead legislators are taking us I'm afraid we will all soon lose. Lose much more than than our right to choose our own doctor for sure.

 

[bobson]

The only way to cut the cost of insurance is to cut the cost of health care (i.e. nationalize it.) No one is willing to do that, so we'll simply create a government funded ins. plan to assist people.

Al, nationalizing what doctors make will have a drastic decrease on the number of doctors we have in this country. You know the Pharma industry isn't going to give in and those politicians in DC just love all expense paid trips from big pharma. Besides if you cut the pay to big pharma they will stop researching new drugs as the cost will outweigh declining profits.

Telling someone they have the right to medical care without the means to deliver it is exactly what you propose. I'm not sure if it is fair to all the gays, and little black girls, and Indians, that they won't be able to see a doctor unless they live in a metro area of 100,000 or more people. Plus the lines, do you like waiting months to see a doctor?

 

[agentinsure]

A retired teachers pension, that would explain it. Just another hog at the trough.