How UnitedHealth and rival carriers, maneuvering behind the scenes in Washington, shaped health-care reform for their own benefit
As the health reform fight shifts this month from a vacationing Washington to congressional districts and local airwaves around the country, much more of the battle than most people realize is already over. The likely victors are insurance giants such as UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Aetna (AET), and WellPoint (WLP). The carriers have succeeded in redefining the terms of the reform debate to such a degree that no matter what specifics emerge in the voluminous bill Congress may send to President Obama this fall, the insurance industry will emerge more profitable. Health reform could come with a $1 trillion price tag over the next decade, and it may complicate matters for some large employers. But insurance CEOs ought to be smiling.
Executives from UnitedHealth certainly showed no signs of worry on the mid-July day that Senate Democrats proposed to help pay for reform with a new tax on the insurance industry. Instead, UnitedHealth parked a shiny 18-wheeler outfitted with high-tech medical gear near the Capitol and invited members of Congress aboard. Inside the mobile diagnostic center, which enables doctors to examine distant patients via satellite television, Representative Jim Matheson didn't disguise his wonderment. "Fascinating, fascinating," said the Democrat from Utah. "Amazing."
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5 comments:
Transation: The insurance companied screwed you Hebron, screwed you Delmar, Salisbury, Selbyville, and Siloam. Just like they have been screwing you for the last thirty years as they al went from being true nonprofits to being comanies like United, the one mentioned in the article, which paid its CEO how much? $1,000,000? Try adding three more zeros to that. Yep, over $100million dollars. And we thought it was a scandal when BCBS of Maryland had a skybox at the cap center and a private plane. Chump change.
So I hope all you little townhallers and teabaggers are just as proud as you can be that you have not only screwed this up for yourselves, but for everyone else. And why? Because you hate the black guy in the white house.
You know what? I'm not the world's most open minded individual. I'm not going to pretend that we're all one big happy family under the skin, or that I wouldn't send my daughter to a private school if the public school were majority black. But there is a difference between holding prejudices and having prejudices hold you. You people are opposing something that will be better for the American people collectively and you individually. You're stupid people, there is no other word for it.
So DJH-if you're opposed to the bill and show up to protest, you're with the big insurance companies-they're paying you but if you're for the bill, then you're still with the EVIL insurance company and you have the nerve to put this on RACE, it's not because we hate him or his skin, it's because before Obamacare it was Hillarycare and Hillarycare never got this far, but if it did, you would have the same result. Would you then claim our anger is at her GENDER? Think for yourself-Fine but don't try and push your guilt on me and tell me what I should think.
Your comment that someone who disagrees with the Healthcare bill means it is "Because you hate the black guy in the white house.
You are so full of rage and resentment against anyone who has an opinion other than yours that you resort to playing a race card.
Shame on you!
People are very afraid this is only the beginning of a socialist country. You are the one who is stupid .... you can't see what is coming.
I think it is right on point that the insurance companies will reap higher profits under Obamacare. This will happen because the government can't run anything and they know it. So the government will pay the insurance companies to administer public health, just as the pay to have some company administer Medicare.
The insurance company has none of its money at risk and if they control labor costs they will have larger profits than they ever dreamed of. Guess who will foot the bill.
You think you got screwed now? Wait til Obama care gets rammed thru!
Go rent the move Logans Run
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