The real reason Obamacare has Failed us all?

USAA is fabulously run and my credit card rate is 7.75 percent. Bank account fees are very very low, insurance is reliable and well-priced. Owners/members get a modest check every year. USAA is one of this country's greatest companies. Only problem is it's only open to military and former military and families. Also, when it comes to homeowners insurance they are selective. But I guess who isn't these days?

When I envisioned a non-profit cooperative, something like USAA is what popped into my head. My expectations are probably too high. :roll:

US insurance premiums increased 3.6% from 2007 to 2008.

"catastrophic plans" are just regular health plans with high deductibles. My HDHC from BCBS of Florida was 110 a month, 7.5K deductible with 5 million in coverage beyond that.

Take a look at BCBS's options -

BCBSF - Health Coverage for Individuals & Families Under 65

Make the assumption that exclusions become outlawed and government regulation insures all insurers provide at least one low cost plan with basic coverage for the poor and I don't see why we need to change anything.

I just went through their screening and found an HDHC -

$124 a month
3.5K in network deductible
0% in-network copays after deductible is reached
coverage: up to 5 million

The only issue I could find with a plan like this is that it didn't cover maternity, but I'm sure there are plans out there that do. If not, maybe we could regulate that as well. Can anyone give me good reasons why a plan like this isn't acceptible for most everyone?

And I might add that the rankings that show the US to be #30something were compiled by the World Health Organization;they stopped attempting to compile rankings several years ago because they admitted that it was too complex a concept to boil down to a simplistic ranking. It tickles me that people actually believe Andorra, Norway, Liechstenstein and Switzerland are somehow 'better'-let those countries deliver care to a sedentary, heterogenous gene pool like that in America and what a hoot it would be.

As far as other Countries not having as homogeneous a population as ours, if you compared the people of foreign Countries with ours, I am willing to bet that they do not have the level of obesity we do. They get far more exercise than Americans. Without routine screening and nutrition counseling, I'm almost certain plans like this would be filing for government assistance right along with Bank bailouts.

Not in my world - mine went up 15%!

Mango, I think you misread Skunkape's post. Heterogeneous not homogeneous. He made basically the same point you state above.

30A Shopper, we have discussed this before, but the easiest and most common example is the company that refuses to cover a certain procedure regardless of what the doctor says; the lack of coverage for pre-existing conditions; the fact that insurance companies (or the underwriters as they always say) refuse to pay for a mammogram if it has been less than 366 days since one was administered, regardless of what the doctor says; that if you have two eye exams that need to be done, they have to be done on separate visits, or the insurance won't cover them...bone density scans that are needed according to the doctor, for baseline information, but will not be covered unless there is a "medical necessity", at which time, there is already a problem that could have been prevented; all too often, it seems to me, the insurance company is making the decision for the doctor.
Perhaps some of this is that more procedures are covered for men than for women and children...I don't have any data for that, but I do know that many of the tests that are regularly covered for men as it has to do with heart disease, are not covered for women--I could go on and on, but those are just what come quickly to mind.
I have been fortunate to have good health; have always managed to have decent insurance, which I have paid for myself most of the time, as a self employed person; but there is little importance given to preventive health measures and for those people who may be sicker, or not as fortunate as I have been to have access to insurance, life can be pretty miserable when dealing with insurance companies; I think we should be able to do better in America for all people--not just for the most fortunate or the ones who are able to understand the deliberately confusing insurance world. I do not believe that making health care more accessible and more affordable for more people will take anything important away from me--a healthier society should benefit all of us. While there will always be those who make choices that do not make sense, and result in bad outcomes, I do believe the majority of people will do what they have to do to provide health care for their family--there are many right here in our area who daily must make a choice between food, mortgage or rent payments, and doctor bills--they survive from one day to the next and work everyday--I would much rather see some reform that would give these folks a break, rather than continue to see huge profits going into the insurance exec's bank account--when they already make $65 million a year, what's a few thousand here and there!

Here is a much more entertaining answer to this question than what I offered above:

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

Is that different than buying shares of an insurance company? Sharing profits with members vs sharing profits with investors.

Here is a much more entertaining answer to this question than what I offered above:

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

This is terrific. A+

Typical Extreme left wing bias and rant. What else would one expect from the Daily Kos?

There is now a concerted effort by the left to demonize the insurance companies instead of actually trying to figure out how to bring down the rising cost of healthcare

There is now a concerted effort by the left to demonize the insurance companies instead of actually trying to figure out how to bring down the rising cost of healthcare

You don't think competing against the health insurers is a sure fire way to get them be more competitive price wise? or negotiating contracted rates with drug manufacturers? What about the Blue Dog Democrats who have been negotiating to lower the costs attributed to the health care bill and negotiating other provisions working along with Republicans? Lastly, what has the Right done to lower your health care costs? I saw a 25% increase this year.

My insurance company already negotiates contracted rates for me .

Typical Extreme left wing bias and rant. What else would one expect from the Daily Kos?

They negotiate contracted service rates for themselves.

Have they negotiated lower premiums rates for you?

You don't think competing against the health insurers is a sure fire way to get them be more competitive price wise? or negotiating contracted rates with drug manufacturers? What about the Blue Dog Democrats who have been negotiating to lower the costs attributed to the health care bill and negotiating other provisions while working along with Republicans? Lastly, what has the Right done to lower your health care costs? I saw a 25% increase this year along with at least 10% yearly increases for the past 10 years.

Typical Extreme left wing bias and rant. What else would one expect from the Daily Kos?

Don't blame the Senator?:funn:

YouTube - Specter responds to citizens at Health care Town Hall

They did give us that wonderful Medicare Prescription Drug Plan that banned negotiating lower prices with the drug companies.