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As we listed in yesterday's "Extra Extra," seven protesters were arrested yesterday in the sales office of Cigna Insurance at 525 W Monroe. Participants of a nationwide campaign for single-payer health care called Patients Not Profits formed a small picket line outside of the office. Seven picketers then entered the building and demanded to speak with Cigna's CEO. When denied, they sat down in the lobby and chanted “patients not profits” and "Cigna is the real death panel" until they were escorted out by police.
Marilena Marchetti, one of the arrested, said via press release, “hundreds of people die each day because insurance companies deny them lifesaving care that they need.” The protest was organized locally by the Chicago Single Payer Action Network. Similar protest actions are planned to take place on October 15th in cities around the country. The arrested are charged with criminal trespass.
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This appears to be the new liberal strategy. Talk about how many hundreds of thousands die every year because the government is not allowed to care for them.
Continued faith in government, when they have shown to be so inept at managing and providing for people, continues to amaze me. Ask the black community in Chicago how much 50 years of liberal big-government promises/programs have helped them.
You are 100% right. Thank Zeus for your insight.
Cigna is not the villain. Cigna is playing by rules established by Congress. Congress can change those rules.
However, Congress should not change the rules---e.g., by starting a public option--in a way that kills off private insurance carriers like Cigna. We all benefit from having multiple private carriers competing with each other. We should not kill that off. If we do, costs will go up and quality will go down.
But any "reform" that actually forces private carriers like Cigna to provide care to all people at an affordable rate will drive costs up and quality down, as coverage for all people simply is not economical. Private carriers need a public option to carry the burden of those currently not insurable.
not necsessarily. give it 5 years and competiton will be extremely watered down, all you'll have is the public option, along with Blue Cross, United, and Aetna, maybe Cigna. the smaller national players and local players will most likely go under.
Its all too similar to pre-war Nazi Germany when Hitler would picket the Jews. We all know what happened next. How many insurance carriers have to suffer before people realize whats happening?
I happen to work in the health care field in the heart of the South Side. I see with my own eyes the way that the desire to have health care coverage provides an incentive to get employed. Take away that incentive and more people are simply not going to try to get a job. Why bother?
I also see how companies that provide better coverage are able to get more patients to select their plans. These companies are competing against each other in a way that can and should be fostered. I also think that Health Savings Accounts would help competition and create an incentive to individuals to limit their unnecessary use of health care.
Admittedly, we need to fix the problem of people having trouble getting insurance with pre-existing conditions and the problem of catastrophic care for the uninsured, but that should be done without a public option.
"Admittedly, we need to fix the problem of people having trouble getting insurance with pre-existing conditions and the problem of catastrophic care for the uninsured, but that should be done without a public option."
But how can you fix that without a public option? A public option is all that will keep insurance companies profitable.
There is also an opposite argument to be made. Having insurance tied to employment discourages entrepreneurs and puts small businesses at a disadvantage.
Many employers do not look for "better" coverage but "cheaper" coverage, especially in this economy. Often patients aren't selecting plans - their employers are.This means that insurance companies with cheaper plans get rewarded, not companies with better plans.
I am uncomfortable with high deductible plans, because I fear they discourage going to a doctor. Early diagnosis of everything keeps us healthier and keeps medical costs down.
Health insurance is not a typical free market. There is a lack of competition - it is a difficult industry for start ups to break into and most states have a small number of companies monopolizing the industry. The patients/consumers are not doing most of the selection process - employers are. Employees are generally stuck with whatever their employer picks, so choice is extremely limited for most consumers. It is difficult or impossible for patients to comparison shop for medical services and procedure - costs are not transparent, and one cannot comparison shop for ERs when they are having a stroke. Consumers lack choices and choice is essential to a normal free market.
Also, insurance is a "product" where the producer has the right to reject customers, unlike most products and producers. Finally, insurance companies make money by denying the services people pay them to provide. So, insurance companies have an incentive to deny claims and to reject certain potential customers. Insurance companies also have an incentive to dictate your health care choices by dictating what is covered. My doctor says I should have a check up every year, but my insurance only covers a check up every two years. I can't afford to meet my doctor's recommendation, because Aetna thinks they know more about my health than my doctor. Buying health insurance is not like buying cereal.
Well stated.
I think divorcing health insurance from employment would help business and increase the flexibility of the labor market. Real conservatives should favor such things.
I happen to pay premiums to insurance companies from where i live in the heart of the North Side. I visit health care providers and pharmaceutical outlets paying percentages of doctors fees and prescriptions, also on the North Side. Your insights and suggestions are patronizing and display a decided arrogance and ignorance of the grand scope of not just the uninsured, but the large amount of underinsured. To imply that the uninsured are all of a group that needs more incentive to hold a job than making a living is hogwash. Hogwash i tell you. HSAs are not an option. They're fine if you have a decent job with steady income, have some money saved, and are in good health.