Would you support non-profit health insurance co-ops?

[moriah]

Since they came up with the idea, I'd love to see it.

I still think it would actually help Medicare and state Medicaid systems if healthier individuals could buy in to those programs, though. Currently state Medicaid programs do not give any care to generally healthy adults, and if we paid the rates we currently pay to health insurance companies -- or even only 5-10% less, it would still likely decrease the average utilization of services per person covered to have healthy adults buying into the system. That would allow us to be able to ensure that the people who desperately need care continue to get it. Republicans keep saying those programs are underfunded, which is very true... so why don't they want to fund them?

I think the co-ops might actually be able to run more cheaply than a program that integrated itself more into the tax-assisted programs currently existing, so I would not be adverse to having those available. But I still want the public option as well.

[madrchsod]

1. no.....

[Betsy Ross]

2. Nonsense.

[Warpy]

3. NO. See Iowa's experience to find out why

The co ops will be dominated by one or two insurance giants who will lock out other plans and doctors who try to practice independently. They will then have absolutely no incentive to play by the rules.

The only incentive insurance companies will have to clean up their policies that deny coverage and care and trim their outrageous administrative costs is true competition and the only place that can come from at this point is a public insurance option.

If you like denial and recission, go ahead and back these co ops.

Laws against abuse are not going to work since they will always require people who are already sick to go through a legal process on top of it.

[Gormy Cuss]

10. +1

We need a public option devoid of insurance company involvement.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. no

[baldguy]

5. Health insurance isn't health care.

Insurance isn't a solution - IT'S THE PROBLEM.

[patrice]

6. No. They are just going to be re-sellers for Ins Cos. Like AARP is.

Ins Co still calls the tune, but has less overhead because the co-ops are doing the processing bits.

Non-profits can also have some pretty high overhead.

[S_E_Fudd]

7. No...

One of the reasons for the high cost of medicare is that it's insured population is among the most needy in society. Extending medicare to everyone would necessarily reduce costs by introducing a large healthy segment into the program. It would also give us the largest pool possible to negotiate lower drug prices etc!

[moriah]

14. That's one of the things I pointed out as to why I want the public option available.

It is only an option, after all. It's likely one I'd end up taking if it would save me premiums for the same care I'm getting through my current insurance company. Given the fact that I am a reasonably healthy adult, paying those premiums into the system that gave care to my father (Medicare and Medicaid) is something that will help ensure that others like him (and my mother, who is going to be eligible for Medicare before Obama leaves office after his second term) continue to be able to get that care.

But I would be happy for them to allow the co-ops as an option as well -- IF we still got the public option.

I'm all for options. Isn't that what will, in the end, truly allow competition? And if having both will get all of the Democrats on board, I'd be willing to go for it.

[SeattleGirl]

8. Nope.

Not no way, not no how.

[Cleita]

9. No. They aren't much different than ordinary insurance and they are

expensive. They are hardly a solution for people who need health care but can't afford to buy it.

[TxRider]

11. It would depend.

Might be nice is small business could get in on it, if it's a good deal.

[Selatius]

12. No. There are too few co-ops in the US to support shuffling so many onto them.

Quite a few states have exactly ZERO existing co-ops working in them. Other states have some, and many of them are rather small or poorly undocumented as to be impossible to verify as to the quality of care they provide.

It is a fools errand, in short.

The idea would only be feasible if the federal government established a single co-op for the entire United States that operated within specifications as far as administrative costs as well as bargaining power in setting prices for pharmaceuticals and medical procedures and tests, but that would basically be like establishing Medicare again.

[DonCoquixote]

13. No and here is why

Because the religious charities will use that as an excuse to take over the medical care of an area. Remember, the goal of theocratic twits is to ensure that people think nothing good can happen without religion. It will not help that they already own many of the Hospitals as is, and can use that fact to edge out anyone that does not agree with them, especially since many public hospitals are underfunded as is.

[titoresque]

15. nope

[Walk away]

16. Blue Cross/Blue Shield was a co=op and is a not for profit and it

is a blood sucking Monster. Would you still love to see it? Last year I paid over $11.000.00 with a one thousand deductable and no perscription coverage.

[ProudDad]

25. Not quite correct...

"Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield insurance companies are franchisees, independent of the association (and traditionally each other), offering insurance plans within defined regions under one or both of the association's brands. Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers offer some form of health insurance coverage in every US state. They also act as administrators of Medicare in many states or regions of the U.S., and regularly can be found providing group coverage to state government employees, as well as the U.S. Federal government under a nationwide option of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) established by the association on their behalf. Thus a strong bond exists between the Blue Cross Blue Shield system and health insurance policy-making bodies at the highest levels of government in the United States."

Many plans are administered by not-for-profit organizations, while others are for-profit companies. (Though all Blue Cross Blue Shield plans must pay Federal income tax under the Tax Reform Act of 1986, some plans are still considered not-for-profit at the state level.) The 14-state WellPoint is the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield member, and is a publicly traded company. Other multi-state organizations include CareFirst in the Mid-Atlantic and The Regence Group in the Pacific Northwest. The largest non-investor owned member is Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), which operates four Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in the Midwest and Southwest."


Freakin' WellPoint -- one of the worst of the leeches is a Blue Cross/Blue Shield company -- decidedly for profit!

[Eric J in MN]

17. Some Blue Cross Blue Shield franchises would call themselves co-ops...

...to get some of the billions in federal startup money.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6338227&mesg_id=6338227

[GreenTea]

18. A republican & insurance company sham.

Health care legislation has to have a strong public option or it's worthless to us...Co-ops are a sham!

A republican & insurance company sham.

Pushed by the greedy slimy republicans & the selfish paid-off blue dog "democrats".....who pretend and present co-ops as real & viably options to the powerful insurance corporations strong financial hold, and as a substitute for a strong public option - Bullshit!

Co-ops are nothing more than insurance companies pacifiers to fool the public into forgetting about a public option as an option.

The hugely rich insurance corporations & their lobbyist, through deregulation & unlimited money the will control co-ops almost immediately....to gain even more profit....The insurance industry will not accept losing a dime....They will lie, smear, distort, bribe, blackmail and kill if necessary to ensure it.

Co-ops will mean even more profit them as time goes on and we'll be right back where we started, no public option health care and the insurance companies sucking us dry!

Co-ops are nothing more than insurance companies pacifiers to fool the publicinto forgetting about a public option as an option.

The hugely rich insurance corporations & their lobbyist, through deregulation & unlimited money will control co-ops almost immediately....indirectly, secretly, as well as publicly by the book to look good and cover their asses.

The insurance corporations will gain even more profit via co-ops in the future....The insurance industry will not accept losing a dime and like a monster will continue to grow & grow, unstoppable, to do & charge as they please....They will lie, smear, distort, bribe, blackmail and kill if necessary to ensure it.

Co-ops will mean even more profit for the insurance industry as time goes on, and we'll be right back where we started, no public option health care for all and the insurance companies sucking us dry!

Co-op are a sham, a joke....complete bullshit to pacify both sides of the isle and fool the idiot gullible people that something has been accomplished and is why both the republicans & the insurance companies don't object to Co-ops....They will control them & profit from them in no time.

[Libertas1776]

19. Hell No!

And besides, the Repubs aren't even going for this either, its way too socialistic for them. They made that clear.

[donheld]

20. NO!

[usregimechange]

21. Not as a replacement for real reform but I would like to see it as a large pilot project

[laughingliberal]

22. No

Some states have them already and they have done nothing to lower premiums or costs to the consumer.

[ProudDad]

23. No, no, no and no!

There are NO co-ops working to control costs in the U.S. of A.

They could NEVER have the bargaining power to control costs -- the corporate insurance mafia and Big PhRMA would still control costs...

Vote NO if there's no stepping stone to Universal Enhanced and Improved Medicare for All in the bill...

Obama had better start planning his strategy -- "Well, the bill didn't contain a viable public option so they must start over. Hey, I have an idea, let's put Single-Payer on the table this time!"

[TexasObserver]

24. Co-ops will not fix 48 million uninsured, uncovered.

Anything that does not provide the uninsured coverage, and that does not regulate health care cost ceilings can't help that much.