Health-Care Industry Offers to Shave $2 Trillion in Projected Increases
My reaction to this news was, so what? So the for-profit health insurance industry, which spends untold millions to lobby Congress every year, announces they will shave future increases in the cost of health care and everyone's jumping for joy. I just don't understand the heavy media play on this, nor the administration's excitement. It just sounds like a desperate ploy to cut off the public plan option. Will the administration drop any real reform plans because of this?
I mean, is there anyone of you who doesn't get that these alleged savings are far too likely to come out of our hides? Call me a cynic, but I'm not jumping on the bandwagon just yet:
Volunteering to "do our part" to tackle runaway health costs, leading groups in the health-care industry have offered to squeeze $2 trillion in savings from projected increases over the next decade, White House officials said yesterday.
The pledge comes amid a debate over how, or whether, to overhaul the nation's health-care system, and Obama administration officials predicted that it will significantly increase momentum for passing such changes this year.
The groups aim to achieve the proposed savings by using new efficiencies to trim the rise in health-care costs by 1.5 percent a year, the officials said. That would carry huge implications for the national economy and the federal budget, both of which are significantly affected by health-care expenses.
New "efficiencies." Hmm. Gee, I wonder exactly who those new efficiencies will affect? For instance, do you suppose they'll be cutting the rate of increases in executive salaries? Of course not! Why do I suspect this means that the claims-denial system is about to kick into even higher gear? Whee!
Representatives from half a dozen health industry trade groups are scheduled to make a formal offer today in a White House meeting with President Obama.
"I don't think there can be a more significant step to help struggling families and the federal budget," a senior administration official said in a conference call with reporters. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the offer remains tentative.
So this morning I wrote a friend who's working in D.C. on health reform, and here's her reply:
Actually, what they are talking about is eliminating administrative costs. Like, you wouldn't need a referral for an MRI. If your doctor says you need it, then you just go get it. We don't need 5 forms and 10 employees to put up barriers there. However, the industry is just trying to cooperate so that they can stop the momentum of the public health insurance plan. The good news is that the WH is saying, "That's nice, but we still want the public health insurance plan, too because the only way that you are going to keep your promise to do this stuff is if there is a government plan that is doing it, and people can choose it over you if screw up."
So, it's always scary when industry has access to power. But another way to look at it is that usually these deals are made behind closed doors, and they are being forced to keep it public because frankly, nobody in DC likes them very much right now. Their access is not as good as it used to be.
That makes sense, and I feel a lot better now.
It's a sick perverted joke on American workers is what it is!
I'm 62-years old and starting to need a lot of health care and I want to government to pick up my expenses. We were talking about this the other day on my other Blog site: www.MOATGAH.Yuku.com There's a lot of us that are getting older and feeling it too!
That is, leads to a page that says I've got to be logged in to view.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
I am an attorney who works for the government and we already get really good benefits. In fact, I spend most my day posting on message boards about how unfair our tax system is to rich people. I really don't care if anyone else can afford health insurance. I got mine!
If you want to see how much I post all day while not doing my job check out www.jkrefugees.Yuku.com
I'm 49 and work my body to ruin on a dairy farm. Sure I'm high IQ and could be doing something that paid more then just enough to give me shelter and food(well and beer and tobacco, which may explain being so far behind) but many years ago I made the choice to do work that needed to be done to help keep this country strong(factory, construction, farming, etc.) instead of chasing after money. Bad mistake in retrospect. Should have said fuck America and gone for the gold I guess. Because now my body too is getting ready to start falling apart. Knees, back, shoulders, hell damn near everything. No money at all for health insurance and make too much for any kind of state health care. The proverbial rock and a hard place.
I hope we get a system as good as the one we provide for Congress but I'd be very happy to settle for one as good as Canada's. Or the UKs. Or any of the countries of the developed world.
that would lower costs for health insurance,
As if they could anyway under the current economic mess that the Republicans left!
in THIS economy is a concession? I don't think so!
Right now, we are at 16% of GDP. To be able to afford universal access for the 46 million uninsured as well as make our business globally competitive against foreign producers who don't bear these costs, we need to REDUCE costs to no more than 12%. The sleight of hand used by the medical care establishment is to project huge increases and then reduce those numbers to the rates they actually expected. Double-digit price increases must be ended altogether by ending the monopoly power of the AMA to restrict the supply of supply of doctors and dictate medical practices that prevent qualified nurses from performing basic services.
And cutting out for profit insurance would more then reduce the costs enough. If for profit health insurance investors are upset they needn't be because if they have any kind of brain they'd be reinvesting in something else already. As for the workers and management at those for profit insurance corporations there is plenety of other more useful work they can do once the mill stone of for profit health insurance is off our necks.
Atlantis is now in orbit. All systems look good.
"Let's talk dirty to the animals"
I watched it from my patio. It has to be up for about a minute before I can see it. I got to see the after burner things burn off before I lost it in the sky.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
.
And yet, "Not for Profit" is excluded from the discussion.
Sure Congress is concerned about the health care of America...
... They're so mired in raking in the profits kicked backed to them by the Corporate elite running the insurance/Health industry.
Corporations dictating to Congress and Congress complying to their demands...
... Other Countries call it Fascism.
.
Starve the WAR Beast...
... Feed Americans.
Don't miss out this TRNN report on Single Payer with some facts:
http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com...
Analisys by Jay paul:
"We already pay almost same taxes compared to Canada and others. 30% vs 35 % and We and don't get health care for all."
Most of our Income tax is to pay the Federal Reserve and of course "National Defense"
Public Schools, Police ,Fire Dept are paid by the PROPERTY TAXES MOSTLY (Around 90%)
was reportedly based on the writings of John Locke, who wrote "no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions." Making a profit off the delivery of health care to the extent that it harms the life, health and possessions of so many "others" would not appear to be what some old guys had in mind a long time ago.
how the fuck much money do the disease-profiteers make from the sick, if they can "squeeze" 2 trillion in savings from projected increases?
we have been duped again...
the healthCare/insurance industry has a gun to their head and i'm not sure who's holding the gun. i think your correct the industry is trying to get public support. there's many who believe government screws up
everything. personally i believe that to be a strategy by capitalist and i understand that strategy.i think obama is going to stick to his we need reform now agenda. the healthCare industry could have been
pro-active instead they are reactive. it's to late. in addition to this CHINA is also going to a universal type healthCare program to help loosen the spending of it's people. our current model of healthCare insurance and some of the care is broken/inefficient. i don't care how big the carrot is that healthCare insurance companies dangle in front of us it's too late.
what your friend is saying is only the "concession" that the hospitals are talking about. Obviously her description doesn't apply to the other health care lobbyists who were at the capital to screw America and have dinner with their favorite Senators.
Ever since I saw this article appear earlier this morning I've been waiting for someone to say the same thing: what a crock! This means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and will have absolutely no effect that will benefit any American in any way whatsoever. Costs will still go up each year, just maybe not as much, which doesn't address a single thing as far as why we have the worst health-care system in the entire free world. There's no change at all on the table with this. If anything the important part of the article is being overlooked. That apparently the gang of crooks known as the health insurance and medical institution apparently are smelling those very mild winds of change blowing their way and don't have as hard a time envisioning them being finally put to pasture in the not so distant future which is why they are now suddenly open to discussions - they're trying to save their sprawling con game that is the american health care system. Did you see they complain that new drugs may have to undergo cost-benefit studies? AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.....I swear, while I'll be the first to say Obama is definitely less malicious then Bush was and it's refreshing to have a politician with brains back in office, as his first term takes shape it's still horribly clear between this and the congressional dissing of the first piece of legislation put through to actually hope homeowners, it's damn clear our government answers first to their biggest constituents,the banks and insurance companies. Makes me ill.
Isn't it amazing how amenable the Healthcare and Insurance industrialists are trying to appear these days? Here's to hoping their Gravy Train gets taken out of service once and for all.
Different context but I was just disussing that train not too long ago.
This is a smoke screen to stop people from thinking about a real health care system like they have in every civilized country. The insurance companies are terrified of single payer.
The system we have today allows you work your whole life and save and do all the right things and then have one serious medical problem and you are bankrupt! We deserve better!
Health Care industry officials anticipate cries of gratitude from nation following yet another promise not to slap nation across the face any more often than it does presently.
Promises more abuse unless gratitude is forthcoming immediately, and get me another beer while you're up!
"The Good and Great Must Ever Shun, That Reckless and Abandoned One
Who Stoops to Perpetrate a Pun," Lewis Carroll, 'The Three Voices.'
For every insurance company: efficiency = deny, delay, don't pay.
Corruption favors the wealthy.
your correct they don't want efficiency they want DELAY in reimbursement. that way their INVESTED
money stays invested as long as possible. ineffiency also discourages patients and physicians. that's what they want. they want the insured to pay for coverage and NEVER receive care. another demographic on the rise is the UNDERinsured. there policy does NOT cover procedures or a very small
amount. the RIGHT wing/financial elites/talking heads CRY" BUYER BEWARE". that's there answer to everything. they want you to spend a $1000.00 to have your insurance policy read/evaluated like they do.
retroactive cancellations have been in the media lately. this is the strategy where the person insured initially provided information and was granted a healthCare insurance policy. when an incident occurred the initial paperwork is reviewed(again) and the insured is told they did NOT provide enough information. there's chatter that reviewers may be receiving bonuses that reflect their ability to review and cancel a policy. LIKE the credit card industry the healthCare insurance is using/looking for an unFAIR advantage.
The movie / documentary Sicko interviewed a guy who did this. After someone had a big insurance claim, he would go over the application to find any reason to disqualify a person who had insurance
and start swinging on the chandelier. I'll only be about $7500 poorer a year.
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Whilst spending the last 10 years trying to evict a "Managed Service Provider" from our company after years of a horrible agreement, here is how they play the game....
While you are the erstwhile employee and just happen to notice large billings for what should be routine service, a further analysis and investigation will lead to a simple plain fact: you're getting ripped off!
So what's a good whistleblower do? He writes up a good report, documents his findings and analysis, enlists a sponsor to shepherd his report to the powers in charge.
So when the MSP Vendor discovers that the jig is up, what do they do?
They politic and try to isolate the miscreant accountant. They schmooze the decision makers, they fret and worry.
As the mounting exposure to massive costs and expenses is played out, the vendors fall back to tactic #2: rewrite the contract.
Here's how that goes:
1) Identify the "Anticipated savings" from the study's report (MUST BE KNOWN).
2) Rework the cost varibales over a longer time to reduce the cash flow (per annum.
...and Voila!!
A miracle has been born. As the premier service provider, you can demonstrate commitment to helping your "partners" save money by showing them that simply "re-financing" the original commitment (over a longer term) allows for less annual expense. Plus, if you don' follow up with those "Study" recommendations, you can save even more...including laying off the miscreant analyst.
http://attorneypages.com/hot/health-net-sued-...
this is a very short read about HealthNet being sued by L.A. city attorney for illegal business practices.
we are suppose to NOW trust these people. they had their chance. the healthCare industry is being
reactive to public pressure.
I'll celebrate when our health care system rivals France's.
Are articles like this one, which exemplifies the total lack of connection with reality (or simple human decency and morality for that matter) when these parasites think that not ripping us off by an extra $2 trillion is doing us a "favor."
Tell me again what is the value added of having these insurance companies as the middle man between us and the doctors? It seems we only get screwed with the current system, and we are supposed to be all too happy to pay for the screw...
confident that the months ahead will introduce the American public and our leaders to a range of horrors that will begin to penetrate our addled collective imagination.
and the USA level of healthcare was in the top three in the world.
Over the years I watched as healthcare decisions were taken away from patients and doctors -
"to keep costs down," the insurance companies shreiked...
How'd that work out? Right...
Now the level of healthcare in the USA is somewhere in the mid thirties as compared to the rest of the world.
Infant mortality is in the top ten of the worst.
The insurance corporations should (in a democracy, perhaps) have their licenses revoked and be dismantled and their execs tried for mass murder.
Single source health insurance and no-fault auto insurance.
MONDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Confirmed cases of H1N1 swine flu in the United States climbed to more than 2,500 by Monday, and the U.S. now surpasses Mexico as the country most affected by the outbreak, according to World Health Organization figures.
THOUGHTFUL of the healthcare industry?!
I KNEW that they ALWYAS had our best interests at heart, and profit NEVER had anything to do with their business model.
Yeah right.
So, its safe to assume insurance companies can continue to deny life-saving care to patients despite this friendly overture to lower costs.
Here is how
1 - Deny everyone that has no health care any and all care
2 - Cut the nursing staffs salary by 3/4's
3 - Hire only Doctors from India for $50,000 per year
4 - Make all but the cash-payers travel to either China or India for all surgery
5 - Eliminate almost all diagnostic testing
6 - Stop paying for all pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer by claiming a genetic predisposition constitutes 'pre-existing'.
OR, require all patients to pay cash for 50% of all costs, or do without.
That should just about do it. I bet this is what they have in mind...
With single payer there would be no need for health insurance companies at all. Free the victims of for profit health care. Nationlize Big Pharma. We paid for all the research anyway. Nationalize all hospitals and medical services. Give Doctors, Nurses, and other health care workers free education based on merit. Set health care workers' salaries at a reasonable level. This is a Democracy - All health care should be free. Open all military and VA hospitals to the public and open free clinics in every community. Send the most serious cases to regional medical centers.
This would cut US medical costs by 80 per cent.
One 2000 pound bomb dropped on Afghanistan costs more than building one clinic.
Vultures with wings ARE a useful part of our ecosystem. Vultures at the for profit health care corps and pharmies are NOT!
...is the same way I look at any "sale" advertised by a capitalist pig. If it's "40% Off!" (or whatever), the capitalist is ADMITTING that he (or she) has been overcharging consumers 40% (or whatever) during all the time there wasn't a "sale." The same for a creditor who gives up half his (or her) claim to a collection agency instead of pursuing it honestly and openly in a court of law: the pig is admitting that his or her goods or services were worth only half as much in the first place.
Listen up, America: the health industry is admitting that they have been OVERCHARGING US BY TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS. I say we not only hold them to their pledge to reduce costs by a trillion or so bucks over the next 10 years, but to PAY US BACK FOR THE TRILLIONS THEY OVERCHARGED US FOR UP TO NOW.
It is time for a government-run, single-payer, non-profit health industry.
what people are willing to pay overcharging? If they say something is lets say $10 and after you purchase it, it actually cost $12 thats overcharging. And have you ever worked in retail management? Usually when they offer 40% off, it is what is called a loss leader. Which is where they are selling something at or below cost to draw customers in who will then purchase other items, which is where they make their money.
And the reason creditors sell debt, is because of the time and costs involved in trying to collect it. Also they figure 50% is better than possibly nothing. And even if you do go to court there is a good chance the people will not pay. The way the collection agencies make their money is by trying to figure out what percentage of the debt they might actually recover and paying the company less than that. And then they hire people at minimum wage to call and threaten legal action, if that doesn't work they will hire lawyers fresh out of college to do the actual court appearances, and hire para legals and such to do the actual leg work/paper work.
The health care industry is having a panic attack , God forbid the government forces competition and clamps down on them , so now they agree to be good boys and girls , that is until the heat cools down and then when it's safe go back to business as usual . What a joke , this is classic . I hope Obama and the Dems do not sucker and cave in on this one ! Bring on that "terrible" socialism !
If that isn't the best argument yet in favor of a national health care program.
They're scared stiff and they are suddenly willing to make huge cuts not to prevent it from getting passed. Of course, once they kill it, they go back to their old ways.
My mother was married to an alcoholic for nine years. Every once in a while, he'd come home drunk out of his gourd, yelling & screaming, then start trashing the house. Mom would round up me and my sister and we'd leave for someone elses house (family, friend, whatever).
The next day, he was promising he'll "never do it again", promising to "be good" and "get help". Mom would go back and two months later... here we go again.
Now it's the Health care industry. "We're SO sorry! We'll be good! We promise to never do it again! Trust us!" Sorry, been there, done that.
* There are two types of Republicans: millionaires and suckers.
"Mugsy's Rap Sheet": Recording history for those who seek to rewrite it.
Why do I suspect this means that the claims-denial system is about to kick into even higher gear?
Those were my thoughts almost exactly when I first heard this. I know it's not acceptable to say this in the US, but I do want what Cuba has in the way of free health care for everybody. If a country like Cuba, with a fraction of the monetary wealth the US has, can do it (and share it with other countries), why can't we?
about Cuba is that they can even train doctors ond other medical personnel from around the world and send many of their own throghout Latin America. Yeah I'd take some of what they've got there!
Volunteering to "do our part" to tackle runaway health costs, leading groups in the health-care industry have offered to squeeze $2 trillion in savings from projected increases over the next decade, White House officials said yesterday.
Uh huh....More like "We're about to get our asses handed to us with Obama's plan, so we'll perform an act of public pseudo-contrition to try to defuse any serious health care reform."
I hope Obama is smart enought to tell these people to shove it.
Watch the video now available. If they do this and have ssingle payer, I'm all for it.
As the insurance companies are involved health care will cost at least 30% more then it needs to cost and the care will get worse.
We have to get the greedy crooks out of our pockets!
This seems to illustrate Obama's approach to economic policy. You 'nudge' people to do the right thing.
Good background article:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21491
What will be done "in the future" and 5 cents won't buy you a cup of coffee (to use the old expression). This is an opening bid in an effort by the industry to diffuse the administration's key argument that health care costs are so high that a government program could not do any worse, both in terms of service and, most importantly, in terms of availability to the greatest number of people. I agree with other posters that this sudden ability to commit to significant cost reductions begs the question "Why now?"
so we initiate the price increases that were going to initiate and that will save you big money.
sounds like someone was studying at the feet of enron
only a politician trying to scam the people would believe that
bullshit.
what is obama up to?
should be won't initiate the price increases
This must be a Joke Right?
If Obama buys in to this he is Finished Politicaly
and will be a one term President.This is more of
the standard BullShit that we would Expect from
the Robber-Barons.
Health-Care Industry Offers to Shave $2 Trillion in Projected Increases
Bruce C Johnson
Anyone who has half a brain knows the insurance industry will never do anything to change on their own. Single payer health care gets rid of the leeches on our society.
That will last for a day or so after the ink dries on the approved legislation. They are only interested in scuttling any single-payer or Medicaid options. Soon as it's scuttled, they'll be back to raping the public. They are not to be trusted.
and the insurance companies have all the cheat codes.
We NEED single payer health care.
NOBODY 2012
Both on radio and on his TV show, Ed Schultz has really nailed this. The same guys who shot down Hillary Clinton's proposal (which will end up, I think, closely resembling what we get this time) for, among other things, the ruinous effect/cost cuts it would have on the health care industry (hence, "us" by their logic), are now rushing to shave costs big time. So why are they doing it? One reason only: they're petrified of having to compete on equal ground against a public option. So much for that talking point that government can't compete in cost and quality with the private sector. And I suspect the industry will win out this time on that point, thanks to Max Baucus and Ron Wyden, who seem to have both the power and the plan ready to go. On the plus side, this will give Obama and the Dems a big political victory. As for those of us in the single-payer advocacy, well we'll just have to hope that this comes around again in about 10 years (in short, essentially the wait and see tactic the gay marriage advocates are adopting).
I don't want any part of any slimy privatized corporate plan.
I want UNIVERSAL SINGLE-PAYER PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR ALL.
Why are these insurance industry bastards even invited to the table? These are people who profit off of DENYING PEOPLE MEDICAL CARE.
They're murderers. Screw then and the Nixonian horse they rode in on.
this is an OBAMA debacle...he's the one pushing for this and accepting it as a rational compromise...the only thing compromised here is Obama's character and the public trust
even listens to the crackpots, loonies and scallywags who represent the health care industry.
ps. That doesn't mean he believes them....
pss. Be assured, he doesn't.
50% off what we "might" charge you.
Business as usual.
They making Americans any smarter this week?
They making Congressmen any less corrupt this week?
These gangsters will control costs by cutting benefits, denying claims, and cutting providers' reimbursement. We need universal healthcare. We will be getting universal health insurance that we all will have to pay for if not by money by our blood. None of the people sitting at either the Senate table or the healthcare industry table appear to care what happens to the average American. I think that Max should have just said "Let them eat cake after he said that they needed more police". Just follow the money. Those who want the money are pushing for a continuation of the monstrositiy that now exists in America. Those who stand to make no money from their reform but want to do the right thing are the single payer advocates. The Senate is beginning to look more and more imperial as the Senators age and decay before our eyes. When was the last time that any of them had to worry about paying for their healthcare benefits. We the people need to demand that someone listen to us and not just escort us out as a the gang chuckles on! If John Kerry was laughing like the others,I want any donation that I made to him back. He and all the rest ofThe Senate Finance Committee are losers. I now hang up on the DCCC, the DNC , and the DSCC when they call me asking for money. When they start representing the people, I might donate again.
10 bucks? 15 bucks? Before inflation or after? Will the 1 to 2 trillion in savings come when they raise the deductibles?
There's no reason that the health care industry really wants to make a deal with the US public unless they stand to profit from it. We're dealing with corporations, so it's all about increasing profits. This is all a PR stunt to keep single payer plans off the table. And it's so obvious a blind person could see it in full color.
The lobbyists and corporatists and, surprisingly, SEIU, are behind this charade. The big savings will be something like Bush's big 600 dollar stimulus check. Remember that? What happened to your money?
If you believe the corporatists, you're a fool.
"...Money Trumps Peace..." G.W. Bush, 2007
So the admit they have been scalping Americans.
That only now that real competition is likely do the health care lords find a way to lower costs?
They will lower care if they do !
Don't say I didn't warn you............................
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