Replies to post #174042 on Simply Politics & News (GOV)

[PegnVA]

"The costs are outrageous" - Did you know health insur corps and major league baseball are the ONLY industries not subjected to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? And since major league baseball doesn't effect our daily lives, that leaves the health insur corps as the ONLY industry who does effect every one of us, every day. So what does this mean for continually rising health insur costs? For starters, health insur corps can, and do, carve up the nation to serve their best interest...health insur corps can, and do, agree to go into/stay out of certain regions of the country, thereby controlling what they charge. Health insur corps can, and do, agree to refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions. Also, some states have as few as 2 choices of health insur corps from which to chose and they can, and do, agree together on what to charge...and it's all legal because they are not subjected to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Unless health insur corps have REAL competition - i.e. a public option, which people can CHOSE (opt for) if they want - health insur corps will remain the ONLY game in town and health care costs will continue to rise because they ARE the only game in town.

"NOTHING the gov't does is cheaper than the private sector" - NOBODY is suggesting the gov't wants to take over the health insur industry, except of course health insur corps and FOX. But without competition, you can be 100% guaranteed nothing will change and your rates will continue to rise because health insur corps will be the only game in town.

And this doesn't even touch on the topic of the uninsured - those too poor to join in the health insur corp's game, and those who have lost their jobs and now can't afford the health insur corp's game. What are they supposed to do? The Decider had an answer, he said they can "go to an emergency room". How's that for a non-caring response, also he failed to mention who pays each time an uninsured person does present at an ER. That's right, you/me/everyone who pays for health insur pays for the uninsured's ER visits.

[SoxFan]

Nothing the government does is cheaper? Well it is cheaper when they provided facility management services in the armed services. It is much more expensive now to provide those services to an overseas army. It costs close to $400 per gallon of gas in Afghanistan and it's not the Army providing those services. Look at all the contractors we have Iraq and Afghanistan and then tell me we can't do it cheaper.