Anyone else think the reason the Health Insurers are jacking the rates right now is to force the....

[yourout]

passage of the Senate bill?

I find the timing and the sheer audacity of the rate increases to be their way of forcing Congress to pass it without a PO or the loss of the antitrust exemption but with a mandate.

Something stinks about this.

[freddie mertz]

1. Interesting thought.

I do think the WH and the Insurance Companies are in cahoots.

That has been pretty clear for a while now.

Obama's surgical strike on the PO yesterday has effectively killed that one remaining problem.

We are so totally screwed.

[amborin]

8. i thought this

and posted so last week

[TomClash]

2. or maybe companies are cutting health insurance premiums

by cutting the number of workers. That cuts into health insurers profits.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. Health Insurance companies oppose the bill, unanimously. This isn't reverse psychology...

They've spent hundreds of millions for lobbyists and poured money into Republican campaign chests to keep them saying no.

They are raising charges now for three reasons ...

(1) They have us by the balls, and really know how to squeeze. If you want health care, for most Americans there is no other place to go.

(2) They can...

(2) If the bill passes, it will be harder in the future to do this, so they are aiming at some short term big profits before they accept longer term smaller profits.

Look, I know that the "evil corporations have shoved their fists up the ass of Obama and Democratic congressmen and are moving their lips with their shitty fingers to get everything they want" meme is really popular here.

But Health Insurance don't want this bill and are using every available resource to kill it. We should ask the question, IF this bill is really such a gift to corporations why do the Health Care Corporations and their Conservative tools oppose it?

[leveymg]

6. They hate the House Bill a whole lot more than the Senate version. That's why we'll get the latter.

Without a PO, HCR is just another industry bail-out. That's the bottom line.

[Ozymanithrax]

16. Wrong, provisions in this bill will help tens of millions of people...

and save live of many who would simply die without health care.

[leveymg]

4. Yes, plus they're greedy bastards and are frontloading their profits for the first couple quarters

Only one thing. No need to force Congress to pass the Senate HCR Bill. They already own and pay Congress and the White House to do these things.

Things stink all over Washington.

[SanchoPanza]

5. They're doing it because they can.

Rate increases are governed by state regulation. There is no provision in CA law that would allow that state's insurance commissioner to have any say in the recent Anthem BCBS increase. The Senate bill would make it more difficult for them to do this because the risk pool would be resistant to exploitation (especially the individual insurance pool, where these rate increases are occurring). The Obama proposal would tackle this more directly by putting rate increases in the hands of Federal regulators.

[Jennicut]

14. Don't make sense.

There is no room for that here.

[tranche]

7. Double reverse conspiracy.

I love it.

[leveymg]

9. You're too easily impressed. A couple of the women did a triple last night in Calgary.

;)

[glinda]

10. No. They are doing it for a quick money grab just in case a real Bill passes.

[kjackson227]

13. BINGO!

[guruoo]

11. And/or they could be hedging against future 'losses' from having to compete with PO

If so, this is a risky strategy to be taking now, IMO.

[timeforpeace]

12. They know it will put pressure on passing the Senate bill, so maybe you're right.

[brand404]

15. Interesting idea...And Should be Taken Seriously.

You propose a very reasonable explanation and the more i think it the more i agree.
If there is no PO and no loss of antitrust exemption then this bill is just a mandated giveaway to the companies...a MUST HAVE for Christmas!
Sure there are pluses in the bill such as non-denial of pre-existings but this can be worked around by higher rates....of course the bill might include some board that monitors rates but this too will be eliminated or watered down to be ineffective. So in the end, i strongly agree that this who premium spike is really a game to pass the senate bill

[brand404]

17. Maybe it's the "In Before the Lock" mentality...

Maybe they are spiking rates as much as they can to max profits before things like Obama's proposed board to monitor unfair rate spikes comes into affect...Once that board is in place then any future premium spikes will be monitored....so for these insurers starts jacking up rates ASAP and often as possible for the next 4 years before this bill becomes law.

[slipslidingaway]

18. You have to wonder why premiums became a hot topic all of the sudden...

and why they has not been discussed for the past year???

The timing and reaction by the administration should be questioned, some members of Congress pointed this out months ago but it the issue was ignored.