House Democrats' gov't health plan would offer premiums 20%-25%...

What if a new health plan set up shop in your town offering coverage at a much lower price than other insurers? If you could save $2,500 on the $12,700 it costs for an average family plan through an employer, would you take it? That's not small change.

[StaberDearth]

"...House Democrats' gov't health plan would offer premiums 20%-25% less than private insurance.."

**********

The plan would eventually drive private insurance out of business (and we complain about government subsidies by foreign countries...?)

After all the private insurers are gone, the government will then JACK UP the premium since you will have NOWHERE else to go!

Socialism, the Machiavellian way. Slippin' the hoi polloi the mickey... and they agree to it.

[Springfield]

So far, none of them have a clue as to what should be offered and how much it will cost. These projection's remind me of those used to create the global warming scare and the government's solution to that? a cap & trade tax that will ruin both local government and private systems created for delivering needed resources such as electricity and natural gas at reasonable rates.

This too will become a government boondoggle with excessive taxation required to keep afloat. When the governments helath care shows immediate and irreversibly negative outcomes, i.e., quality health care going down the toilet for the good of "cheap government services" at a higher cost than predicted, the remaining private health care plans will flourish.

In America, people will pay for quality over and over. That's why General Motors and Chrysler have become Government Motors. People stopped paying for junk, even though it's made in America and opted for quality instead. I'm waiting for Government Motors to make a profit - Hah!

For those who care little about their own health and the health of their families, the government plan will be perfect, still FREE but they'll have to wait a bit longer for their care because the "Emergency Rooms" will no longer be considered their primary care physicians office! Go stand in line and wait or better yet, just hang out on your front porch like usual and wait for the doctor's office to call you back for that appointment two months down the road.

[Rick]

I didn't know insurance premiums could be calculated without any knowledge of the group of people that are going to be insured (ie. the health, habits, etc). I don't understand how a large chunk of people who are already considered uninsurable by the industry can all of a sudden get insured for 20% less. Seems fishy to me.

And lets not forget how this is going to be funded. Raising taxes and inventing a NEW TAX (taxing employees' employer sponsored health insurance plans). I can't wait to pay for everyone's insurance. Let's hope the American people aren't dumb enough to swallow this line of sh!t the gov't is force feeding us.

This type of gov't spending is unsustainable and our country is in deep deep trouble.

[Lehighton]

If the premiums will be 20-25% less than private insurance companies. It's still a lot of money, and people still won't be able to afford it. So there still will be a lot of uninsured people running around out there.

[chicagoguy]

Medicare is already doing a good job at providing low cost health coverage.

I think not having to worry about keeping a job to provide health insurance for the family will reduce risk and costs in people starting their own companies, and will increase entrepreneurship and improve our economy...

[Moe]

Just like all of Obama's promises, the 20-25% lower premium cannot be trusted. The "lower premium" probably comes with a 60-70% reduction in services and coverage.

[Patrick]

This is horribly unfair to insurance companies! How can they possibly make a profit if they have to compete with a government plan that doesn't have a CEO it needs to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to every year, because CEOs like that are so very necessary to the people who are paying the premiums? How can they return value to their shareholders if there is a competing plan that doesn't have shareholders to pay dividends to? Anyone who wants to pay $2500 less a year in premiums is clearly selfish and unAmerican because they are unwilling to sacrifice for the capitalism system that CEOs depend upon for their hundreds of millions of dollars a year that they work very hard to earn by finding new ways to deny life-saving procedures to people who pay the premiums! I say NO to this socialist plan that might put the silly needs of people who are in danger of dying ahead of the legitimate rights of CEOs to earn their hundreds of millions of dollars. After all, they have to buy shoes for their kids too!

[Facts Suck]

Big deal. Blue Cross/Blue Shield raised my family's (self employed, so no group purchase) premiums 23% this year alone. We're in a recession, and the insurance company's get to raise rates at a ridiculous pace. Something needs to be done and done now!

[lily boca raton fl]

Patrick wrote:

This is horribly unfair to insurance companies! How can they possibly make a profit if they have to compete with a government plan that doesn't have a CEO it needs to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to every year, because CEOs like that are so very necessary to the people who are paying the premiums? How can they return value to their shareholders if there is a competing plan that doesn't have shareholders to pay dividends to? Anyone who wants to pay $2500 less a year in premiums is clearly selfish and unAmerican because they are unwilling to sacrifice for the capitalism system that CEOs depend upon for their hundreds of millions of dollars a year that they work very hard to earn by finding new ways to deny life-saving procedures to people who pay the premiums! I say NO to this socialist plan that might put the silly needs of people who are in danger of dying ahead of the legitimate rights of CEOs to earn their hundreds of millions of dollars. After all, they have to buy shoes for their kids too!

I enjoyed reading your post; well said, if I may, I might just copy this and send it to my congressman and senator.

[Rick]

chicagoguy wrote:

Medicare is already doing a good job at providing low cost health coverage.
I think not having to worry about keeping a job to provide health insurance for the family will reduce risk and costs in people starting their own companies, and will increase entrepreneurship and improve our economy...

How about worrying about having a job period? This extra cost plus all the others Osama Barama and crew want to add to the cost of paying employees will result in the slowest employment recovery out of a recession in a very long time. Can you say: "15% unemployment"? I am out in the market every day and only employers who absolutely need another person are hiring because of all of these new expected costs.

[Rick]

chicagoguy wrote:

Medicare is already doing a good job at providing low cost health coverage.
I think not having to worry about keeping a job to provide health insurance for the family will reduce risk and costs in people starting their own companies, and will increase entrepreneurship and improve our economy...

Oh and the low cost of Medicare is a sham also. All the govt has done is shifted all of the administrative costs to the healthcare providers.

[Low and Outside]

chicagoguy wrote:

Medicare is already doing a good job at providing low cost health coverage.
I think not having to worry about keeping a job to provide health insurance for the family will reduce risk and costs in people starting their own companies, and will increase entrepreneurship and improve our economy...

Yeah, if you don't mind being a vendor of medicine and not getting paid until six months after the service is provided. And if you do get paid, it's pennies on the dollar of what your costs really were. Then you as a medical provider need to bill your privately insured customers extra to make up for what medicare didn't pay. Not doing so would force you to lock your doors and provide nothing to nobody.

So Medicare is doing what again?

[Bob]

And imagine what private companies could do with the savings they'd realize, funds that are presently used to subsidize the cost of employee healthcare programs. Maybe reinvest and create new jobs, much better use of capital instead of supporting a broken system...

[Low and Outside]

Bob wrote:

And imagine what private companies could do with the savings they'd realize, funds that are presently used to subsidize the cost of employee healthcare programs. Maybe reinvest and create new jobs, much better use of capital instead of supporting a broken system...

So if the private companies no longer pay for employees health care, then who exactly picks up the bill for healthcare? And seeing it's going to cost a trillion dollars over and above what it costs today to provide that healthcare, someone is going to have to pony up a lot of money.

Just where do you think that money will be coming from?

[rich]

Low and Outside wrote:

Just where do you think that money will be coming from?

The government is gong to force doctors to work for free, prevent lawyers for sueing for sub standard care, drug companies will have to give away drugs and every hospital will become publicly own.

[Leroy Jenkins]

I ain't no expert in insurance, but I can tell you a few things...

1. Gubment can't do nothing right
2. Gubment is not an insurance company
3. They will give you 20 percent discount and turn around and raise taxes to cover the difference, cause the gubment ain't go no money to be given no discounts.

[Leroy Jenkins]

lily boca raton fl wrote:

<quoted text>I enjoyed reading your post; well said, if I may, I might just copy this and send it to my congressman and senator.

You ain't so smart, CEO's get paid a lot of money for many reasons, is life fair no, why not write Obama and says to him, please uncle obama spare me a dime cause life isn't fair...I bet you hundred dollars nobody responds.

[Rob]

From the same pocket money would be saved. Busniess/Consumer premiums and Consumer deductables.

Whether im currently paying $10K, for a "Free Market" health plan or $9K for a Government Health Plan and $1K in taxes makes no difference. Im still out $10K.

Low and Outside wrote:

<quoted text>
So if the private companies no longer pay for employees health care, then who exactly picks up the bill for healthcare? And seeing it's going to cost a trillion dollars over and above what it costs today to provide that healthcare, someone is going to have to pony up a lot of money.
Just where do you think that money will be coming from?

[Patrick]

Low and Outside wrote:

<quoted text>
So if the private companies no longer pay for employees health care, then who exactly picks up the bill for healthcare? And seeing it's going to cost a trillion dollars over and above what it costs today to provide that healthcare, someone is going to have to pony up a lot of money.
Just where do you think that money will be coming from?

Who said employers won't continue to pay? They'll just have less to pay as the premiums will be lower. This will help employers and employees. Everyone wins. Except insurance company fat cats, that is. My heart just bleeds for them after the years they've screwed the rest of us.

[Rob]

Do you live in your mothers cabinet below the sink? Where do you come up with this crap......

rich wrote:

<quoted text>
The government is gong to force doctors to work for free, prevent lawyers for sueing for sub standard care, drug companies will have to give away drugs and every hospital will become publicly own.