Right. Except that my mother (New Jersey Republican) made a good point. The context was that she felt she was going to be forced into using the government-provided health care option. I mentioned that she could still use her employer's insurance, and she said,
"But what if my employer says they're dropping the private health insurance and everyone will get a raise equivalent to (after taxes) the full yearly cost of the government's health insurance premiums?"
To which the answer is "well, if the health insurance companies want to stay in business, they'll have to be more competitive." Otherwise companies *will* stop spending lots more money for private health insurance, and those insurance companies *will* go out of business. So, yeah, health insurers give a damn.
That's also why it's completely fair for the government to offer an option, but only if it's paid for by premium monies -- because otherwise the government health insurance is subsidized (by the government through taxes) which private health carriers don't have the benefit of.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2009-09-11 19:45 (UTC)"But what if my employer says they're dropping the private health insurance and everyone will get a raise equivalent to (after taxes) the full yearly cost of the government's health insurance premiums?"
To which the answer is "well, if the health insurance companies want to stay in business, they'll have to be more competitive." Otherwise companies *will* stop spending lots more money for private health insurance, and those insurance companies *will* go out of business. So, yeah, health insurers give a damn.
That's also why it's completely fair for the government to offer an option, but only if it's paid for by premium monies -- because otherwise the government health insurance is subsidized (by the government through taxes) which private health carriers don't have the benefit of.