Comments on: Romney To Obama: Stay Out Of Insurance Biz

[hungry1968-15]

Romney To Obama: Stay Out Of Insurance Biz







America to Romney: Stay out of America's Biz

[mattcat25]

Insurance Companies have done such a good job so far!
And, what does Mit Romney actually do?

[salmoc44]

The supposed "liberal" media is once again giving another Republican has-been it's megaphone in the interest of pimping for corporate America against the will of the American people.

[tokyo2nite]

"In other words you want a politician to decide what care you get, wait a long time for treatment that you may never get (and may die), and wait in long lines to get care. You must be a democrap"

So, you, instead, want a for-profit insurance agent--whose bonus is hanging on the matter--to decide whether and where you get treatment? You want to be denied insurance because *they* decide you had a "preexisting condition"? I've had government run health insurance for the past 30 years here in Japan and it's done quite well, thank you. And I can be sure they'll never deny me coverage because of whatever condition I or my family might have.

[cydygitt1]

"If the rest of the industrilized world can do it, surely we can - Japan, Canada, France, England, Germany, etc.... What is wrong with us?"

--------------------

We've let the GREEDY for-profit insurance companies frame the issue for way too long now, and they have put the almighty American dollar before the patient, destroying the general health and welfare of Americans!

[npkppprc]

3 out of 4 americans want government run health care where did you do your poll. In other words you want a politician to decide what care you get, wait a long time for treatment that you may never get (and may die), and wait in long lines to get care. You must be a democrap

[r9119111]

by charlie286 June 24, 2009 4:55 AM PDT
Romney/Palin 2012.

I hope they do run together, they'll get smashed. Neither one is mature enough to be our president.

[cydygitt1]

Yep....romney, like the rest of the GOP hacks, are inconsequential.

Anyone still carrying water for the for-profit insurance companies that have been squeezing more almighty American dollars out of Americans for years now, should just be thrown into the gutter for the buzzards!

[trillion1]

More gop supporting big business gouging the American people.

[mrs_trepidatious]

He is right. I own lots of insurance stock and live a comfy life from the dividends and do not want the gravy train to end.

[frankie2fing]

Health insurance companies are NOT in the business of keeping you healthy, they are in the business of making money for their shareholders. They do this by DENYING service. Congress (ESPECIALLY THE SENATE) should have to get their own insurance and just watch how fast they fix it.

[r9119111]

Me to Romney. Why don't you just zip it up.

[actornaught]

Mitt, how far can you see when you're inside somebody's pocket? You lost the campaign, Mitt. Long time ago.

I miss the pre-campaign Liberal Mitt...

[flsunjnky]

Just another reason why Romney ISN'T President!

[salmoc44]

It's nice to know that Richy Rich Romney wants to protect giant bloodsucking healthcare corporations. It's a real surprise too. Romney was born with gold-plated bootstraps and a butler who would pull them up for him.

[excoachken]

Hey IThoughtwas: You see especially out of touch with reality this morning. Your coffee seems to be having a very serious synergistic interaction with your Viagra and Oxycontin cocktail, resulting in serious delusional thinking. You are always Rush....ing to judgment.

[salmoc44]

Many Americans are paying 10s of thousands of dollars a year for insurance that may not even cover them when they are sick. A large percent of this money goes to needless administrative costs, shareholders, and fat cat CEOs. I'd gladly pay thousands more in taxes if I could get an affordable public plan I could trust and to remove the corporate bloodsuckers from the equation.

[bc-1948]

Same old story - poor insurance companies can't compete with real competition - we need the public option - not ran by the government but like federal employees have - When the top 5 execs of the top 5 ins companies make over $100,000,000 each - I'm sure they don't want to have to have real competition - just deny claims every chance they get and keep raising premiums. My wife and I currently pay $21,000 per year for our coverage - If the rest of the industrilized world can do it, surely we can - Japan, Canada, France, England, Germany, etc.... What is wrong with us?

[cydygitt1]

"If the rest of the industrilized world can do it, surely we can - Japan, Canada, France, England, Germany, etc.... What is wrong with us?"

--------------------

We've let the GREEDY for-profit insurance companies frame the issue for way too long now, and they have put the almighty American dollar before the patient, destroying the general health and welfare of Americans!

[rednomo]

According to a recent report, the United States has $480 billion in excess spending each year in comparison to Western European nations that have universal health insurance coverage. The costs are mainly associated with excess administrative costs and poorer quality of care.

The United States spends six times more per capita on the administration of the health care system than its peer Western European nations.


Fierce Healthcare reports the following top 10 insurance company CEO salaries for 2008.

* Ron Williams - Aetna - Total Compensation: $24,300,112.
* H. Edward Hanway - CIGNA - Total Compensation: $12,236,740.
* Angela Braly - WellPoint - Total Compensation: $9,844,212.
* Dale Wolf - Coventry Health Care - Total Compensation: $9,047,469.
* Michael Neidorff - Centene - Total Compensation: $8,774,483.
* James Carlson - AMERIGROUP - Total Compensation: $5,292,546.
* Michael McCallister - Humana - Total Compensation: $4,764,309.
* Jay Gellert - Health Net - Total Compensation: $4,425,355.
* Richard Barasch - Universal American - Total Compensation: $3,503,702.
* Stephen Hemsley - UnitedHealth Group - Total Compensation: $3,241,042.

When American patients trust their health to a for-profit insurance company, they?re doing nothing less than gambling with their lives in a game where the odds are stacked in favor of the insurance company.

These are salaries reminiscent of the AIGs, the Goldman Sachs, the Merrill Lynch?s, and other Wall Street CEOs who also pillaged from the American taxpayer and turned around and gave themselves and their executives multi-million dollars bonuses.

The Single payer, health care option initially proposed by President Obama on his campaign trail is merely health coverage, like Medicare, but it is for anyone who wants it. Single payer eliminates insurance companies as pricey middlemen. The government pays care providers directly. It?s a system that polls consistently have shown the American people favoring by as much as two-to-one. Of course, it is this option that these CEOs and Congress are fighting against because it means less profit for health care companies who favor their bottom line over quality, more affordable health care coverage.

The existing health care option proposed by Congress, the GOP and Sen. John McCain falls short, (and they know it) because:

* Many Americans, especially American families, cannot afford the insurance premiums offered by employers. As cost of housing, fuel, education, food, insurance continues to rise; salaries across the board have been stagnant or declined.

* Health insurance continues to increase, and rise without question and Americans who lose a job, or self-employed, work part-time, retire or divorce are cut off by employer health care coverage, if they even had it.

* No American can actually afford COBRA insurance, the premiums are cost prohibitive and employers know it.

* The Republican, GOP plan to force Americans to buy health coverage and giving them a small tax break means these same families who cannot afford to buy health insurance now, certainly cannot afford to buy the more expensive insurance under their plan.

[joethesocialist]

You raise a good point and a question that is conspicuously absent. How come Congress is NOT promising the exact same insurance that they themselves have??

Their insurance is already paid for by us (the tax payer). If they are not proposing the same coverage, why not? Are they better than the people that elected them? (They are smarter than the people that elected them, that is for sure...)

The health care problem is systemic, in that every one involved is contributing to the problem. The doctors, the insurance companies, the drug companies, the ambulance chasers, and the obese, pathetically unhealthy smoking and sedentary Americans "needing" insurance are all equally to blame. There's no victims here.

[salmoc44]

Americans support Obama over the GOP 2 to 1.
3 out of 4 Americans want a public option for health care.
The Republicans stand squarely against the wishes of the American people.
It's time to see if the health care lobby owns our gov't more than the people do.

[npkppprc]

3 out of 4 americans want government run health care where did you do your poll. In other words you want a politician to decide what care you get, wait a long time for treatment that you may never get (and may die), and wait in long lines to get care. You must be a democrap

[tokyo2nite]

"In other words you want a politician to decide what care you get, wait a long time for treatment that you may never get (and may die), and wait in long lines to get care. You must be a democrap"

So, you, instead, want a for-profit insurance agent--whose bonus is hanging on the matter--to decide whether and where you get treatment? You want to be denied insurance because *they* decide you had a "preexisting condition"? I've had government run health insurance for the past 30 years here in Japan and it's done quite well, thank you. And I can be sure they'll never deny me coverage because of whatever condition I or my family might have.

[excoachken]

Ordinary citizen to Romney: Stay out of the Governing business and insurance company pimps like you won't have to worry about Obama doing his job!

[cydygitt1]

Yep....romney, like the rest of the GOP hacks, are inconsequential.

Anyone still carrying water for the for-profit insurance companies that have been squeezing more almighty American dollars out of Americans for years now, should just be thrown into the gutter for the buzzards!

[rednomo]

Q: Won't that drive private insurers out of business?

THE PRESIDENT: Why would it drive private insurers out of business? If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality healthcare, if they tell us that they're offering a good deal, then why is it that the government -- which they say can't run anything -- suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That's not logical.

[mattcat25]

Republicans want the United States to be bankrupt, that is the base of Conservatism Privatize the profits and Socialize the losses.

now,if the country is to go bankrupt at least we will have HEALTHCARE! instead of just a handfull of new $Billionaires like was created during the Bush Administration.

[JayArGee3]

I am self-employed and I paid through the nose for coverage for years. I can't afford health care insurance now. When I actually used my insurance, I ended up owing thousands of dollars more and am STILL trying to pay it off today, years later.

[say__what]

My wife who is a lowly special ed teacher with a masters degree has to pay $800 a month for my son and me. If we didn't need health care, it would be free for her. that's $9600 a year, do you think somebody is making a profit on that?

Mitt Romney is an idiot, we need what the rest of the world has, single payer health care now!
Reply to this comment by say__what July 10, 2009 8:16 PM PDT


Good point - but remember who your wife works for - the GOVERNMENT! That is the problem here. My insurance premiums of $200 a month (Medical/Dental/Vision family coverage) would go way up if Obama's plan passes. One of the ways Obama is looking at funding this massive plan is to tax corporations benefits provided to employees. Free enterprise? Not so much. If anyone was paying attention to Romney's health care plan, they would see that it increases competion, which lowers cost.