Health Insurers Plan Hikes

[bloomington-lib]

Source: Yahoo! Finance

Health insurers say they plan to raise premiums for some Americans as a direct result of the health overhaul in coming weeks, complicating Democrats' efforts to trumpet their signature achievement before the midterm elections.

Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET - News), some BlueCross BlueShield plans and other smaller carriers have asked for premium increases of between 1% and 9% to pay for extra benefits required under the law, according to filings with state regulators.

These and other insurers say Congress's landmark refashioning of U.S. health coverage, which passed in March after a brutal fight, is causing them to pass on more costs to consumers than Democrats predicted.



Read more: http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/110602/health-insurers-plan-hikes?mod=insurance-health

[burnsei sensei]

1. Send more "Thank You" cards to Karen and the Blue Dogs.

You have no right to insurance, medicine, medical care or even life.
You must pay, in essence, for your life.
You have been bought and sold by these people on the basis of risk.
How does it feel to be a slave?

[No Elephants]

13. The deal with health insurers was cut in the WH, well before the Blue Dogs got their hands on any=

thing.

[Iowa]

19. Exactly.

[Blue_Tires]

2. and right during the election season, too...

those fuckers should have been put out of business from the start...

[xchrom]

3. recommend

[The Wizard]

4. 1% to 9% increase

Republicans, who have sought voter support by opposing the health law, say premium increases could help in November's congressional races. "People are finding out what's in , they don't like it, and I think it's going to play a big factor in this election," said Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

What Grassley and his thieving Republican freaks fail to mention is premium increases have been around 15% before health care reform. He assumes everyone will forget about past increases. Then again, people who buy Republican bull shit are self destructive morons.

[Jkid]

5. I knew this was going to happen.

[No Elephants]

14. Everyone knew it was going to happen.

[tomm2thumbs]

6. Rahm & the White House, you make a deal with the Devil and you get what you get

time to pay the piper with your soul

[AC_Mem]

7. Same thing happened with credit cards

And they are getting better about their ability to financially assault the public now because they are regulated better.

Rather than blame the health care law for this, maybe we should look at why the insurance companies are raising their rates before the law is even fully in effect! Call them out, take each major insurance company who is doing this and put the facts on the news. How much they have raised the rates over the past 5-10 years, how much they pay out, how many are denied, what their top executives get paid.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Did you all read the entire article? These increases apply to new policies.

"While the increases apply mostly to the new policies insurers write after Oct. 1, consumers could be subject to the higher rates if they modify their existing plans and cause them to lose grandfathered status."

"A small number of insurers have submitted plans to lower rates and cite the new mandates in the legislation as the reason. HMO Colorado, a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan owned by WellPoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP - News), submitted a letter to state regulators saying small group rates would fall 1.8% starting Oct. 1 because of changes from the law."

[ixion]

11. Yeah, gee, and no one ever gets a new policy...

:eyes:

[sinkingfeeling]

12. Oh, I've had the same policy for over 30 years.

[No Elephants]

16. Then maybe you'll age or disable into Medicare eligibility soon. However, most young, healthy

usually don't buy expensive health care policies--until there is a mandate. And even you would not have had your policy for 30 years if it had ever been cancelled or your funds had run out.

[joeglow3]

17. Tha majority get their policies through their employers

It is not considered a "new" policy every time a new employee is added. In the case of employer policies, it is the PLAN that cannot change. Thus, if you go to work at GE in 20 years, you would most likely still have the policy as they have today (most companies will not change their policies, which would required them to conform with the new laws).

[No Elephants]

15. Like the new policies mandated by the "health" bill? And your point is?

[laureloak]

9. Supporting the argument in favor of a federal public option. n/t

[No Elephants]

18. I would gladly have settled for that before I saw the laughably called "health care reform bill."

Now, don't expect me to support anything but Medicare for all.

Fool me once, etc.

[ixion]

10. Mission Accomplished!

The insurance industry is saved! woohoo!!

[mzmolly]

20. They plan hikes every year.

And have since their inception.