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alc

(1,151 posts)
6. regulations are still being writen
Sun Mar 11, 2012, 12:01 PM
Mar 2012

Insurance company lobbyists are still working out the details with the various federal and state agencies that will decide.

I think insurers may want to cover ALL costs and expand coverage. Because of the medical loss ratio, the best way to increase profit is to increase premiums - reducing medical costs actually reduces profit so they need medical costs to go up which means covering more. They'd rather have premiums increase than higher co-pays since they get a part of the premium but not part of the co-pay.

Insurers will turn the MLR around and say "congress told us we can charge 15-20% more than we spend on medical costs". Regulators may try to limit the increases but insurers will run a PR campaign with medical costs and the MLR details and tell us what coverage they will cut if regulators get their way. They won't mention that they could cut costs without reducing coverage and people will believe that they have Congressional approval to jack up rates. Hospitals and doctors will go along since they will get paid more and not have to reduce costs and as a result insurers will make more profit.

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0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

We had to pass the bill CAPHAVOC Mar 2012 #1
Yes, we do Yo_Mama Mar 2012 #13
I rather just pay the Medicare Tax. I hate "Managed Care" CAPHAVOC Mar 2012 #15
I don't know bvar22, but I do remember some posters... stillwaiting Mar 2012 #2
If these "Bronze" Policies cover only 80% of the Medical Costs, bvar22 Mar 2012 #5
I think we can all pretty well predict the answer to that question. woo me with science Mar 2012 #3
what do you mean by co-pay? Schema Thing Mar 2012 #4
"The maximum out of pocket expense for a Bronze plan is $5,950"... bvar22 Mar 2012 #7
It is $5950 per year. bornskeptic Mar 2012 #11
regulations are still being writen alc Mar 2012 #6
No, not hardly Yo_Mama Mar 2012 #14
There are many ways a bronze policy could be structured. bornskeptic Mar 2012 #8
We won't know for two more years, I guess. nt Honeycombe8 Mar 2012 #9
After the 6k out of pocket, it seems to. Of course 6k to those in the bronze market TheKentuckian Mar 2012 #10
A single individual making $20,000 a year would have a premium cost of $85 for silver coverage, bornskeptic Mar 2012 #12
This F'n ACA plan sucks! CAPHAVOC Mar 2012 #16
In other words you hope we don't get affordable healthcare for everyone within the next 20 years, bornskeptic Mar 2012 #17
There is no insurance. CAPHAVOC Mar 2012 #18
Insurance seems to work quite well in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, bornskeptic Mar 2012 #19
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