Posted on 05/16/2014 12:16:20 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In a line that says a lot about where health care is heading under Obamacare, an insurance executive offering plans through the law was quoted in the New York Times on Tuesday as saying, “We have to break people away from the choice habit that everyone has.”
Marcus Merz, the chief executive of PreferredOne, made the remark in an article describing the trend toward narrow networks in health care plans. The article notes, "In the midst of all the turmoil in health care these days, one thing is becoming clear: No matter what kind of health plan consumers choose, they will find fewer doctors and hospitals in their network -- or pay much more for the privilege of going to any provider they want."
Before the health insurance exchanges opened last October, I had written about a looming issue for Obamacare that I called "access shock." As many liberal commentators boasted that offerings on the insurance exchanges were going to be priced lower than expected, I pointed out, to the extent that this was true, the reason was that insurers were stripping down their plans so they covered fewer providers.
Supporters of Obamacare have argued that the trend toward narrower networks was happening before the law was implemented, as insurers sought ways to cut costs.
However, the introduction of Obamacare no doubt accelerated that trend and gave insurers a new excuse to pare down their offerings. Because plans were forced to comply with a raft of new benefit requirements that naturally drive up the cost of insurance, they had to move more aggressively to cut the rates they were paying providers, which resulted in narrower networks. Furthermore, Americans are now forced to purchase insurance no matter what.
Now, insurers are publicly boasting about how great it is that they're trying to deprive consumers of choices.
For more, read Reason's Peter Suderman.
“We have to break people away from the choice habit that everyone has.”
I think we can see how well that has worked out at the VA.
I vote no.
Kind of ironic, too, for the head of a company with the word Preferred in its name to decry choice.
When the rationing is political, then they can determine who gets what based on loyalty.
They can, as V Jarett says, reward their friends and punish their enemies.
Furthermore, Americans are now forced to purchase insurance no matter what.
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Some refuse to submit and I suspect that number will grow as people realize their high premiums get them virtually nothing - no doc, no appointments, no healthcare without mucho money out of pocket on top of premiums. Insurance companies with attitudes like this can “embrace the suck” when they go out of business.
So they’re anti-pro-choice?
Val Jar....... reward friends, punish enemies.
your comments are spot on.
These people make me sick. Keep calling your reps, just to keep them informed of our opposition to this disgusting treatment by this corrupt administration.
Also, Please donate monthly, it’s such a terrific investment for this forum.
Will some politician PLEASE grab a microphone and start screaming at the top of his/her lungs. THIS VA mess IS Obamacare. It’s exactly what we’re to expect if we allow Ocare to continue.
Disgusting waste of money, lack of care and forced into plans we do not like.
Libs generally have been working hard to eliminate many choices we have, such as the choice of religious beliefs and choosing to own firearms or not. This is nothing new.
No vet sees people openly. It is cause for loss of license.
The vets I know are seeing a decline in clients while their costs for all drugs and equipment is skyrocketing. They pay the same taxes, overhead and utilities everyone else does. They are also regulated. They are being pressured to not just supply meds, but get a human MD to write a script for the client that gets filled (and tracked) at a pharmacy.
Had to have a tooth extraction this week. It has been four years since I visited this oral surgeon. He no longer has any other doctors working for him. 3 of the 6 treatment rooms were empty. There was no one waiting after my 11:00 am appointment and only two others were in the waiting room with me. There were three front office workers and two-three techs. All of this is a huge downsizing from before.
When it was my turn, I encountered extremely futuristic technology from x-ray to monitoring equipment. I commented on it. It was mandated by the government. The surgeon was convinced some crony firm made a bundle and of course, it all came with an included medical device tax.
He discussed the mandatory electronic records regulation and related horror stories about how it isn’t working, how some of the largest and most prestigious institutions do not provide accurate information in an easily found form and how only his old school habits in record keeping have saved the patient in several instances.
I paid out of pocket, but the government demands my insurance cards be logged anyway. The price was 50% above what it was four years ago. My choice, as I need anesthesia for this sort of procedure.
The surgeon told me the pressure is on to get rid of all the private practitioners. Four years ago, he was a feisty and angry guy. This week, he was quieter and resigned. He has to go along to keep his license. He has several college-age kids. He doesn’t think the younger generation (he is early 60s) has any ethics and neither do they understand the situation, which they think (or say) will “pass”.
I asked at the desk if my information would be shared with the government and was emphatically told by the woman admitting me that they do not and will not ever share anything on a medical form. She was flashing sparks when she said this.
My husband’s MD works for a cash only clinic. He is wealthy and could retire, but when he was forced out of his large institutional position (it was political), he decided to keep working. Everyone thinks these cash only, very affordable practices are the next victims. The clinicians already have no hospital privileges and anything that gets them “in trouble” with the regime will perhaps mean they lose their licenses.
There is no escape. That is what they mean by breaking the “choice habit”. We will get what they decide we will get and shut up about it. Or we will be stonewalled and our records *lost* while they cook the books to show differently.
I guess choices is only for killing babies
Seems like, doesn’t it?
And we on on this path because ??????????
Off with their heads! They cannot have our freedom without a fight.
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