there is something terribly wrong when a country has a health-care INDUSTRY.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20822145/site/newsweek/<snip>
As of the first quarter of 2007 she was the recipient of more health-care-industry donations than any presidential candidate—Democrat or Republican—according to a recent study by the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy. Even Charles Kahn, who, as executive vice president of the Health Insurance Association of America, orchestrated the Harry and Louise ad campaign, is hopeful that a President Hillary Clinton would tackle health-care reform again. “She knows a lot about health care, she’s interested, she can speak the language. It’s a natural constituency,” says Kahn, who is now president of the Federation of American Hospitals and says he met with her just a few months ago to talk about the issue.
How did the woman once demonized by the industry—whose plan was derided as “Hillary-care”—become so popular in these parts?
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“Since becoming a senator, she’s been focused on quality improvement, safety improvement, comparative effective analysis. We support all of that,” says Karen Ignagni, CEO of American Health Insurance Plans, the health-insurance industry trade group. This year AHIP, whose lobbyists are in constant contact with Clinton’s staff, put forward its own plan for universal coverage, which Ignagni says got a positive response from the senator’s office.
She’s made nice with the pharmaceutical industry, too. Big Pharma’s lobbyists are constantly engaged with her staff, as they are with other members of Congress. “Hillary recognizes the important role of employer-provided health insurance and the important role of private markets in insuring the people in the country,” says Billy Tauzin, the president of PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group for the industry), who voted against her first plan when he was a member of Congress. “I take comfort in that.”
Hillary Clinton's Mandatory Health Insurance Plan Is An Attack on the Middle Class, Group Says
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/383412/hillary_clintons_mandatory_health_insurance.htmlThe Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights FTCR announced that it is 100 percent opposed to Senator Hillary Clinton's mandatory health insurance purchase plan. Senator Clinton has received over $1 million in campaign contributions from insurers for her presidential campaign and it certainly seems that this proposed policy is their "return payment" on their investment especially when the plan is offered as a solution for health care reform by a woman who used to be a proponent of socialized medicine in America.
The plan's mandatory requirement -- that every American purchase private insurance -- assures that the health insurance companies will stay in business, but it does not define how the average American middle class family will be able to afford the coverage. Clinton's plan does not in any way shape or form suggest a cap for premiums or regulate them. When it is considered that insurance coverage for a family of four costs approximately $12,000 per year, Jamie Court, President of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, defined the measure as an "attack on the middle class family." Health care reform is a necessity; however, it cannot be achieved when only viewing part of the picture as proposed by Clinton's plan. It is clear that a hard look needs aimed at the health care insurance industry. If they can make Clinton do an about face in her policy--just imagine how much power health insurer campaign contributions wield.
Insurance Companies Reap the Benefits
The FTCR notes that a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that the average cost of insurance coverage for a family of four is $12,000 per year. That total does not include payment of any required deductibles that could be an out-of-pocket expense up to $5,000. Plus, more insurance companies are keeping more premium dollars for profit causing them to rise even more at a rate of 250% faster than inflation rates. It was further cited in Kaiser's report that while health insurance premiums have increased 78% since 2001, wages have only increased by 19% and inflation by 17%.
Even with this plan not being in effect, insurance companies are reporting profit increases for the second quarter 2007. Wellpoint (parent company of Blue Cross of California) reported a profit increase of 11% over 2006, UnitedHealth profits are up 22%, Aetna profits up 27%, and Health Net's were up 23.1%.
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