There’s No Doubt Who The Bad Guys Are; Time to be Furious.
I’ve read with some interest people debating the potential for universal health care access in this country. Then I run accross this:
Executives of three of the nation’s largest health insurers told federal lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday that they would continue canceling medical coverage for some sick policyholders…
Note that these are POLICY holders–who have been paying premiums. Â To continue from this same story, located here:
An investigation by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations showed that health insurers WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group and Assurant Inc. canceled the coverage of more than 20,000 people, allowing the companies to avoid paying more than $300 million in medical claims over a five-year period.
Are you clear on what that means? It means that, by God, they feel perfectly justified in dropping you from your health care if the care you need is too expensive.
A little more from the story:
The executives — Richard A. Collins, chief executive of UnitedHealth’s Golden Rule Insurance Co.; Don Hamm, chief executive of Assurant Health and Brian Sassi, president of consumer business for WellPoint Inc., parent of Blue Cross of California — were courteous and matter-of-fact in their testimony.
But they would not commit to limiting rescissions to only policyholders who intentionally lie or commit fraud to obtain coverage, a refusal that met with dismay from legislators on both sides of the political aisle.
So, again, these people losing coverage are not liars are fraudsters, it could be you or your Aunt Mabel.
And there’s ANYONE in America who would prefer the status quo rather than some sort of Universal Health Care?
Now from the “not much hope” department, here’s some info on our Congresspeople who are currently trying to draft some sort of bill for universal health care. Â Have a little look at THIS:
Almost 30 key lawmakers helping draft landmark health-care legislation have financial holdings in the industry, totaling nearly $11 million worth of personal investments in a sector that could be dramatically reshaped by this summer’s debate.
And there’s more…
The first big congressional moment on health care comes Tuesday in the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which will consider a liberal-leaning proposal that includes the creation of a “public plan” meant to be a government-administered alternative to private health insurance.
On that 22-member panel, at least eight senators have financial interests in the health-care industry worth a minimum of $600,000 — and potentially worth as much as $1.9 million. The investors include  Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), a senior member of the panel, who holds at least $165,000 in pharmaceutical and medical stocks, and freshman Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), who holds at least $180,000 in investments in more than 20 health-care companies.
And the list goes on, see the link above if you want to see the full list. Sure, it’s very possible that these folks can have all this investment in companies which “refuse to stop dropping sick people off of their health insurance!” and still do the right thing–e.g. provide health care to everyone who needs it.
My point is only that each of us had best be watching, that we need to keep our eyes on the ball here. It’s well past time that they stopped throwing their hands in the air (they meaning our so-called leaders) and crying “We can’t do this, it’s too hard...”
Your life may hang in the balance, folks. Whether you have health insurance or not. If you’re sane, you’re going to be paying very close attention to this issue – and you’ll be investigating it, and letting your representatives know what you think.
But the insurance companies? How can you read the first article and feel for two seconds that they are NOT the bad guys? Especially when, say, the CEO of WellPoint, Angela Braley, was paid $9,844,212 in 2008…. for running a company that denies claims to people who have health insurance! How nice!
By the way, that didn’t include her private plane or an additional “$10,000 for legal services relating to her employment agreement and cash credits.”
If you’re not outraged, you are not paying attention. This situation cannot stand. And if you think it “couldn’t affect you” or someone you love because you have health insurance, THINK AGAIN. It’s the only sane way to go.
June 21, 2009
Tags: common sense, Congress, customer service, health, insanity, money Posted in: Insane
6 Responses
AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!
It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.
STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.
And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.
Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and demand that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).
Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.
In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!
Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!
God Bless You
Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS
Yes, sir, Jack, keep spreading the word. It’s past time for all this to be accomplished. Let me know how it goes/the kinds of reactions you’re getting from people…
Thanks,
Ms. S.
If the company is too big to fail, in our representatives minds, it is clearly too big to hold responsible for, well, anything.
http://www.truthout.org/062209F?n
Of course in a country who’s mind and feelings have been saturated with political correctness (corporate and otherwise), who’s to know, and what moral feeling stands for what is “right” any more? Ahh…and therein lies the rub.
Watch them all you want. The show will go on and who are the lunatics?
Oh, ho, Mr. Dazy, you’ve asked the right question. Ding Ding Ding! The lunatics are those who are thinking this state of affairs can continue indefinitely!
Thanks for playing. You win a surprise. Hint: it’s kevlar.
In Sanity,
Ms. S.
Oh… silly me. I thought Sarah Palin’s allegation of “death panels” was aimed at Universal Health Care. My apologies Sarah – I didn’t know you were talking about the insurers.
i think i’m losing my health care when the new bill comes around
Leave a Reply