Posted on 09/07/2010 2:35:15 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
The first casualties of ObamaCare.
The first casualties of ObamaCare--not counting truth and the trust the public had placed in President Obama to keep his promises--will be health insurance agents. That proud army of tens of thousands of Americans whose calling was to help individuals and employers work through the maze of available health insurance policies to find one that met their clients' needs.
Democrats pushing ObamaCare, just as Democrats pushing ClintonCare 17 years ago, always saw the demise of health insurance agents as an acceptable, even a desirable, loss.
In November 1993, when then-First Lady Hillary Clinton headed up her own scheme for a government takeover of health care, an agent asked her what would happen to health insurance agents under her plan. The Wall Street Journal quoted Clinton as saying, "I'm assuming anyone as obviously brilliant as you could find something else to market."
And now that the Clinton vision has finally come to pass in ObamaCare, many of those agents will indeed find something else to market--because they'll have to.
It's not like you couldn't see this train wreck coming. Once the health care reform debate got underway, I began to warn health insurance agents in speeches and on conference calls that when Obama referred to administrative waste, he was talking about them.
Some of them told me they, in conjunction with their primary trade association, the National Association of Health Underwriters, were visiting members of Congress trying to convince the powers that be that agents provided value. That still appears to be NAHU's basic strategy.
I think those efforts have been pointless. That's because of what former President George H.W. Bush called "the vision thing." The vision guiding those who are really driving the reform effort is a country in which people go online and choose
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I think that what Democrats and Liberals have in mind for healthcare will garner them power for decades. That is, until the populace finally realizes their utopian idea of health care isn’t what government can really provide. Services and products of Government Healthcare of the future will become that of the US Post Office or the more locally recognizable, DMV. And, when its ‘value’ has diminished that far, the Government loses its hold.
Perhaps we should start a retraining program and make these guys into pavement or asphalt workers....then toss them into new national plan to pave roads across America.
“That proud army of tens of thousands of Americans whose calling was to help individuals and employers”
This is the dumbest argument ever, salesman that take a cut of our ever increasing premiums will lose their jobs.
This is just the beginning. Wait till the lawyers find out they can’t sue the govt.
My thoughts too. Lawyers are not needed in Communism. Or any kind of advertisers or marketing employees.
“I’m assuming anyone as obviously brilliant as you could find something else to market.”
...and I think that that one snotty ass statement should keep you out of public office. Elephantitis infected, bubble butt wench!
I remember when Hillary tried this stunt in 93. I asked my daughters 40+/- year old pediatrician what he thought of it and he said, “I’d retire”. My 50 year old doctor said, “I’d retire”.
Libs have favorite doctors too. They’d be well served to ask them the same question as they continue to support this nonsense.
Not so lawyers will sue because they can’t sue,never under discount how low a lawyer can go.
I have been dealing with these health insurance agents for the last few months because my Cobra will be ending in November. The vast majority have reminded me of slick used car salesmen. One said stick with your Cobra because it is the best plan. Then just hung up on me. Toots I would love to stick with my Cobra but didn’t I inform you it was only lasting until November? They really are no help.
Our insurance agent is wonderful. Friends of ours also use his services and for over 10 years, he has been there, immediately before rates go up with products that will give us coverage and value for the best, always lowest price.
When he was last here, in Spring, he said that there is business out there for insurance agents, but they really have to look for it and work even harder.
He hates zerO and has been personally hurt, beyond his business economics, by this regime, just as we all have. Every profession has great people in it and mediocre folks who don’t really care. We lucked out with Steve and are grateful for him.
I have a 3 year warranty/insurance on my hearing aids, it came with the purchase. The hearing aid folks told me that after it expires, the same insurance/warranty will cost me $200 per ear, per year. I'll be seeing my independent agent when it expires, I know, without a doubt, he will beat that price all to pieces.
Our primary care doctor is now seeing Medicare patients 1 day a week, come Jan it’s 0 days a week. He will retire before the whole thing takes effect in 2014. Thanks Mr Marxist president for screwing up our healthcare. Took one 80 year old lady at our church 6 months to find a doc willing to take her Medicare and that was 2 years ago. It will be much worse after 2014.
ObamaCare: the Burden on Small Business
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=12066
Obamacare’s Cost Scalpel
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_14/b4172064340424.htm
Obamacare’s Broken Promise: One Company’s Experience
http://www.heartland.org/healthpolicy-news.org/article/27835/
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