More Lies on Health Care Costs

One thing about which we all agree is that health care costs are going through the roof.  Where there is no agreement is to why.  In my opinion, both the Republican explanation and the Big Insurance explanation are lies.  I think my own explanation is more accurate.

Workers at a circuit-board factory here just saw their health insurance premiums rise 20 percent. At Buddy Zaremba’s print shop nearby, the increase was 37 percent. And for engineers at the Woodland Design Group, they rose 43 percent.

The new federal health care law may eventually “bend the cost curve” downward, as proponents argue. But for now, at many workplaces here, the rising cost of health care is prompting insurance premiums to skyrocket while coverage is shrinking.

As Congress continues to debate the new health care law, health insurance costs are still rising, particularly for small businesses. Republicans are seizing on the trend as evidence that the new law includes expensive features that are driving up premiums. But the insurance industry says premiums are rising primarily because of the underlying cost of care and a growing demand for it.

Across the country, premiums have more than doubled in the last decade, with smaller companies particularly hard hit in recent years, federal officials say…  [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

The “special features” in the Republican lie fall into two areas.  First there are preventive services older policies did not offer.  Those actually save money, because they detect problems early enough treat them more effectively.  The second area feature is policies that actually pay when the insured becomes ill.  RepubliCare policies that collect and never pay might cost less, but who would want them?

The Big Insurance lie is that increased demand has done it.  Not enough features of the AHCA have been implemented to effect the demand.

My explanation is simple. Health insurance prices are up, because Big Insurance wants more money.  This points out the big flaw in the AHCA.  Without a public option to prevent pricing collusion by the Big Insurance cartel, AHCA leaves health care in the hands of greedy corporations that care 100% about profit and 0% about health.

Long term we need single payer health care, such as Medicare for all, so that health care resources go to health care, not corporate profit.  Short term we need a public option or some other mechanism to muzzle Big Insurance greed.