So, if I'm understanding the GOP's argument on CSPAN2 right now...

[Orrex]

Giving people a public option will drive up premiums. And requiring insurance companies to insure everyone will drive up premiums. And regulating the insurance industry will drive up premiums. And talking about insurance companies will drive up premiums. And suggesting that some members of Congress have inappropriately cozy ties to the insurance industry will drive up premiums.

Looks like anything other than massive tax breaks and comprehensive tort reform (to protect the insurance industry) will drive up premiums.


Is that it, in a nutshell?

[Ian David]

1. So we should make it illegal for them to raise premiums. n/t

[Cleita]

3. Bingo! That's what we should do. Better than that, we should tell them

exactly what they can charge for each adult and each child. If they don't like it, then they can get out of the business of health care so we can get actual national health care instead.

[wryter2000]

2. Haven't you heard?

Trying KSM in New York will drive up premiums. Or was that taxes? :crazy:

[Laelth]

4. By Jove, I think you've got it. Republican insanity in a nutshell. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[JuniperLea]

5. So, what's driving them now?

Everyone I know just got a massive increase... mine was ONLY 10%... I feel lucky. Its ONLY gone up 10% a year for the past four years... oh, wait, that's 40%+ over the past four years... they don't expect us to be able to do math.

[Orrex]

7. And the 40% is just for the premiums

When my company did that to us, we also wound up with larger copays, bigger deductibles, and vastly increased coinsurance amount, and substantially more burdensome out of pocket costs.

So the actual, practical increase was somewhere on the order of 150% over that same period.

[JuniperLea]

9. Ugh...

You're right, of course. My copays went up too...

[Nite Owl]

6. You forgot the selling

insurance across state lines (so as to bypass state regs), that is one that will lower prices too.

[Orrex]

8. Good point! We need the Congress to waive its power to regulate interstate commerce

Hell, let's get rid of the power to regulate anything at all. Then a prosperous economic utopia will follow and last 10,000 years.