Comments on: Health insurance lobby fires opening salvo as battle goes public

By: Zaid Jilani

Zaid Jilani — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:45:40 +0000

I love how Anthony Weiner turned their argument on their head by saying this proves we need a public alternative:

http://www.alternet.org/rss/breaking_news/95407/_weiner:_ahip_report_makes_strongest_case_in_weeks_for_public_option/

By: Rick Ungar

Rick Ungar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:45:12 +0000

You would want to talk to the Academy of Motion PIctures Arts & Science.

By: libtree09

libtree09 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:26:22 +0000

Young healthy people would rather pay the fine and opt out of insurance. That is the premise of this report. Maybe, maybe not. Why pay a fine and get nothing and if something goes bad be saddled with debt.

More likely the reasoning is this: I can’t afford health care so why bother? Money is the problem, jobs that offer health insurance are not rejected by young people. All this weekend the radio was filled with health care experts claiming that young have plenty of money for the big screen and x box. Now I know why.

If lack of funds is the problem most likely in play wouldn’t the government be picking up the tab anyway or at least a portion of it? Young people do buy car insurance even if it is the minimum for a used car. They are required to buy and do.

The question that came to my mind in hearing that the insurance companies plan to raise fees is, “What’s to stop them?”

Could this be an excuse for a giant windfall, a hurricane of profit to come? Yet in every television and radio report I have heard today the discussion takes the side of insurance…we need to increase fines instead of these companies can raise rates whenever they want for whatever reason.

This should be taken as a dire warning or flat out blackmail and the only counter to this arrogance is a public option.

By: jackreynolds

jackreynolds — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:36:22 +0000

Don’t you live in Hollywood? Who should I talk to if I want to start a letter-writing campaign imploring the Academy to stop using PWC to collect/count ballots? If PWC is going to pull this shabby crap, America’s version of the Nobel Peace Prize committee shouldn’t employ them and give them great PR every year.

By: Rick Ungar

Rick Ungar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:19:05 +0000

I read Klein’s piece and it is a very good analysis. The funny part is that the report is likely to convince more people that stricter penalties on the mandates are a good idea because the insurance companies don’t like it. That’s unfortunate, as I’m far less convinced that the mandates will lead to a happy ending in health care reform.

By: jackreynolds

jackreynolds — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:43:54 +0000

The AHIP report by PWC was an obvious hatchet job. Just read Ezra Klein’s piece on it here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/10/the_insurance_industrys_decept.html

Klein also notes that PWC was hired to produce “analysis” for the tobacco industry about how a tobacco tax would be terrible for the economy.

Incidentally, PWC has been counting the votes at the Academy Awards for the past 75 years (http://www.pwc.com/us/en/pwc-and-the-oscars/index.jhtml). If anyone wants to start a letter writing campaign to put an end to that in retaliation for this AHIP hit piece, I’ll be the first to sign on.

By: Brian In NYC

Brian In NYC — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:29:38 +0000

I do admit to finding a certain amount of pleasure in seeing the insurance industry going after Baucus.