It's time for new health insurance idea, 50 big firms say

[question everything]

MICHAEL KINSMAN


May 23, 2004


When a problem affects nearly 44 million Americans, it becomes everyone's problem... Fifty of the nation's largest employers, who do understand that, recently unveiled a plan to get at least 4 million of those individuals under health insurance coverage.

The coalition of companies – including such prominent names as General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Marriott, McDonald's and Starbucks – employ about 17 percent of the nation's work force.

Those companies are trying to create a health insurance package to cover part-time workers, temporary workers, independent contractors, people whose COBRA benefits have expired, and those who have taken early retirement and don't have health benefits.

(snip)

The coalition plans to lump uninsured workers into a pool that will negotiate rates with health care providers. The goal is to provide options individuals can choose from.

(snip)


Michael Kinsman: [phone]; [e-mail]

Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040523/news_1b23kinsman.html

[GreenArrow]

1. bah

foxes and chicken coops.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. What about Single Payer?

Too simple? Too direct? Too effective?

[salin]

4. The sigficance isn't the plan... it is that they are suggesting ANY plan

the health care costs have been rising so fast that large companies are being hard hit.

Expect a clash of the (corporate) titans in the next couple of years over the issue of health insurance costs. It is an issue we will deal with in the next ten years. The costs are just too high. But as time goes on with no resolution (this will not be said resolution) the costs will continue to escalate for employer provided health insurance - to the point of broadscale recognition that it would cost less to them (the big corps) for a tax increase of some kind to pay for coverage for all - taking the responsibility for healthcare benefits off of the plate of employers. Sadly it will take the corporate weight to eventually push for serious change... but it will happen - and there will be some heavy hitting back from the insurance and health care industries... but while in the past they have been allied - the HC and Insurance industries greed will eventually break apart that ally (as I think this group and plan indicate as early steps towards the inevitable.)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Exactly

Make the entire population of the United States into one big insurance pool.

All that stuff about insurance pools is just a lot of accountants' fictions anyway. I pay more for a policy from the same company than an employer in a "group" does for employees, because according to their whacked way of thinking, I'm a "group" of one. Yet I'd bet that there's no item in their corporate books for "Lydia Leftcoast's policy" and that all the people who buy individual policies are indeed lumped together.

[teryang]

3. In my state the cost of the average hospitalization

...for illness is about $21,000.00. The cost for a hospitalization for a major heart attack is $83,000.00.

[bemildred]

6. Screw "insurance".

Public health care, free, paid by income tax,
and regulated for quality and cost. Why is this
any diffent than roads or water systems?