MUCKRAKING POLITICAL ARTICLES

HEALTH INSURANCE PRICE GOUGING
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AVIAN FLU
Bird Flu threat and research
CORPORATE INVASION OF IRAQ, and oil leasing
PIGS AT THE TROUGH--ARIANNA HUFFINGTON
CORPORATE PIGS--Hightower
VIOXX, 55,000 die because of politicians
STOCK MARKET REFORM--Greenspan head of Fed Reserve
Instability in Market & lack of social responsibilty, warns George Soros
Understanding the U.S. War State--Prof McMurty
BUSH'S KILLER POLICY: opposition to cheap drugs in 3rd World
MEDICARE TREATMENT CUTS
DRUGS, PARTY POLITICS, PROFITS
HEALTH INSURANCE PRICE GOUGING
Family health insurance averages $11,000
IRAQ WAR & OTHER CORRUPTIONS BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
EXECUTIVE BRANCH'S ABUSE OF SCIENCE
LOWEST TARIFFS ARE ON LUXURY ITEMS
NEED FOR PROTECTIONIST TARIFFS
IMPERIALISM & GLOBALIZATION
NOT BALANCED, THE O5 BUDGET
Tax Havens--Huffington
Congress and SUVs--Huffington
CEOs, how sweet it is--Huffington
Medicare Reform of 11/03: Government as Usual
Universal Medical Insurance--Nader
JK ON AFGHANISTAN--published 1980, things haven't changed

Turning the pigs loose

health-ins-rise.jpg

While the chart says that corporate health care with the cognizance of government is doing exceedingly well.  But who, how much, and why the gouging?  The answer to the last are contained via examples in How Congress Works, The Most powerful Lobby, and Luxury Lowest Tariff Items.  Some things get better with time, other like our government have deteriorated over the last 70 years.  And as a result the 1988 health insurance policy which in today dollars cost $286 now runs, according to the Chicago-based Health Research and Educational Trust,  $829, and it typically comes with higher office-visits co-payment, more hospital deductibles.  Extra fees for brand-named prescriptions drugs, and so on.  This is the fourth consecutive year of double-digit premium increases.  The income to insurance companies was  $550 billion in premiums.  Of that $72 billion went towards administrative expenses of the insurance companies.  From this income insurance companes have doubled their profits, comparing 2003 to 2002.  There profits are “14 times the $736 million earned in 1999.   This rise in profits is because of increases in premiums and reductions in the amount of what they cover. 

 

From San Diego Union Tribune, 8/22, p. A1, by Leslie Berstein, staff writer. 

 

What troubles me is that it is the nature of the beast to maximize profits and over the last 4 decades the efforts of our government to bridle this natural tendency has been consistently reduced.  We are gradually returning to conditions similar to that of the early 20th century where we endured monopoly capitalism.

US Health Insurance Costs Rise Faster Than Wages

 

 Confirms above article

By Maggie Fox,

pasted from WebMD through the Rueters Health Information

WASHINGTON (Reuters) Sept 28 - Health insurance premiums for workers are rising around three times faster than their wages, and health costs eat up a quarter of earnings for more than 14 million Americans, according to a survey on Tuesday.

While benefits are being cut, health insurance premiums are rising, the report from the nonprofit Families USA found.

"Working families were squeezed by runaway health care costs over the past four years," said Families USA executive director Ron Pollack.

"As a result, workers are paying much more in premiums but are receiving less health coverage, wages are being depressed; and millions of people have lost health coverage entirely."

The cost of health insurance premiums rose by nearly 36% on average from 2000 to 2004 in 35 states, said the group, which bills itself as a nonpartisan watchdog on health care issues. Average earnings rose just 12% over the same time.

The Families USA report found that health insurance plans provided by employers are covering fewer health services and workers are paying higher deductibles and copayments.

"Family health premiums paid by employers and workers rose from $7,028 in 2000 to $9,320 in 2004. The average amount paid by workers for this coverage rose from $1,433 to $1,947 during that period -- an increase of 35.9%," the group said in a statement.

"And, the number of Americans who had total health costs that consumed more than one quarter of their earnings rose from 11.6 million in 2000 to 14.3 million in 2004 -- an increase of almost 23%. The overwhelming majority of these people (10.7 million) had health insurance."

More than 60% of Americans get their health insurance through an employer, according to Census Bureau statistics. But the number of people without insurance rose last year from 43 million to 45 million and some experts say rising insurance costs are in part to blame.

Families USA said it found 85.2 million people went without health insurance for some time during 2003 and 2004.

"In 2003-2004, one out of every three Americans under 65 years of age went without health insurance for some period of time. Over half of these people were uninsured for at least nine months," the group said.

"The number of people who were uninsured at some point in 2003-2004 exceeds the combined population of 32 states and the District of Columbia," Pollack added. "This is an epidemic that requires immediate attention."

For the report Families USA used data compiled and analyzed by The Lewin Group from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services

To him who little is not enough, nothing will be enough--Epicurus

Original sin is the difference between your pleasure and mine—BF Skinner

I have met a few intelligent conservatives—John Stuart Mill