Insurance Group Backs Health Care Overhaul

(AP)  The health insurance industry said Wednesday it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions, but in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage.

Lawmakers have signaled their intent to craft health care legislation early next year, and the insurance industry's support would make passage easier. That legislation is expected to closely track the proposals of president-elect Barack Obama. However, Obama separated himself from his Democratic challengers by opposing an individual mandate for adults to buy health insurance.

More lawmakers may agree to a mandate if it means the insurance industry will back those efforts. They'll remember it was the industry's opposition 15 years ago that helped scuttle former President Clinton's health plan.

The board of directors for America's Health Insurance Plans agreed to the trade-off Monday night. The board endorsed the proposal after a series of hearings in various states.

"We hope this will be a contribution to help members of Congress fashion their proposal," said Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive officer of the trade group. "We're going to provide all the technical background that we have assembled, all the experience we've assembled at the state level, and we're going to work very hard with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. We want to make sure that whatever reforms are advanced, no one falls through the cracks."

Obama's health plan calls for a health insurance exchange, a sort of government-run shopping center where customers could go to select from private plans or a plan administered by the federal government. Any insurer that wants to participate in that exchange must accept all customers regardless of pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.

Insurers will want to participate in the exchange because government subsidies will make it easier for millions of people to buy coverage from them. But the insurers say that experience in the states shows the coverage guarantee often made it harder for people to find coverage. That's because insurers raised premiums to meet the expense of covering all applicants with chronic health conditions.

"They ended up making the problem much worse," Ignagni said of the state efforts. "The data is clear about the need to have everyone part of the system."

Analysts say Massachusetts is an example where the coverage guarantee has worked well, but it's also a state that requires everyone to buy health coverage or suffer a tax penalty.

Some key Democratic lawmakers have already expressed support for an individual mandate. The concept was a centerpiece of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's health care plan. It was also part of the blueprint offered last week by Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

[harv1941]

Funny how the all the insurance companies, including AARP are jumping on the bandwagon for health care reform. Until Americans across the country started pushing for a Single Payer Universal Health Care program and the existance of the House Bill HR-676 was made more public, these slugs were not moving in their attitudes.

Frankly, they should all, along with the other thiefs in the financial industry, be put in jail and made to pay restitution for all the millions they have stolen from citizens of this great nation.

WE should all push for passage of HR-676 and put these thieving insurance slugs out of business. Better care for ALL American Citizens and would bring our country up from 37th Place of nations for Health Care.

We pay two to three times as much of health care on average in this nation than any other country in the world. France and Germany for instance have average health care costs of approximately 2500 to 3000 per patient year. The United States has health care costs of over 6,500 dollars per patient year.

France, Germany, Japan all have better health care outcomes, and their people LIVE LONGER. They have few birth deaths than we do.

What is wrong with this picture?

[golightly62]

This news sure makes me nervous. Sure, let''s let the insurance industry craft a solution to this mess..they will look out for us!....????No doubt the only reason they want to be a part of the solution is to look out for themselves,,Special interest politics and GREED is killing our democracy.

[docpeter1953]

From the above article, ''The health insurance industry said Wednesday it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions, but in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage.''
________________

Everyone buy coverage? At what price? One set by the market, Govt. or insurance industry?

Health insurance for me, personally, has been a rip-off. For the past ten years I haven''t been to the doc, haven''t neede to go. Haven''t needed insurance. I do understand that they would use the money I pay into the system to treat others and that is fine with me, BUT they also use the money to pay execs over $1M in salary per year and that is not fine with me. Then they turn around and deny or delay treatment as they seek paper opinions for their own insurance on-board docs.

Move forward, for me, to 2008. I finally went to see a doc this year. I think right now I am out-of-pocket about $700 for the year. Having to maintain an insurance policy would have cost me well over that in premiums, not to mention a $1.5K deductable. I am still saving money by NOT HAVING INSUEANCE. I am not even to the halfway point on a deductable for 2008.

I don''t think McCain''s idea was any better than Obama''s. Keep healthy, exercise regularly and don''t be a couch potato, get some sunshine every day, eat plenty of fresh -not canned- fruits and vegs., limit meat, cheese, milk, candy products.

[babooph]

Propagana system covers up the "overseas" clearing of the claims by giving the checkers a % of what they deny !!!!!!!Prison should be the reward for the ins execs-A REAL PRISON !!

[babooph]

If the "overhaul" included putting the ins execs in prison until their bribe profits were returned ,I also would be for it.

[kansas1946]

However, Obama separated himself from his Democratic challengers by opposing an individual mandate for adults to buy health insurance.
*****************************************

Thank God. As usual, the medical industry and insurance industry are trying to bully everyone. They have had their day. Through their greed, coupled with lawyers and the people who hire them, they have pretty much ruined the health care system in this country. Now they want to cry about it. No on should be forced to buy the govenrments health care if they don''t need it. That is ridiculous. T

[seah5]

Of course their is Big Bucks for them to make.

As long as it is not one Company getting all the business.

[bb543]

Everyone''s gotta buy in. We''ve heard that before.
Huge profits to the industry when states required
auto insurance. You can bet their actuarial teams
have given them a grin and a strong thumbs up on this
idea. Crooks !

[usedeqbroker]

Health Care affects us all anyway. Saying you don''t want to pay for someone else is your right, but the reality is you don''t stand by and watch people die.. so you must be one of the ones that get it free from a company you work for that is large enough to provide it or you are wealthy anyway... I know many people who need healthcare and cannot afford it or get it. Everyone has heard how the insurance companies play life or death with patients, charge us too much, denying claims, cancelling insurance, not letting others have it and now they want to play along... the ONLY reason they act interested now is they see the handwriting on the wall and they will be told what to do since they have been ripping EVERYONE off with little or no remorse and certainly no ethics about it... They can all go to a hot spot quick along with our auto industries and their overpaid unions. Cheddarboy and his "well, too bad" attitude is the same as the insurance companies... until a real man, President Elect Obama, with a real plan to help all of us, with a real group of indiduals who have some ethics who are going to help him change this attitude...

[lochlan-2009]

Large Corporations in America are not for anything unless it means more money for them.