I can't think of anything we need that health insurance companies provide.
A lot of us have been disappointed with how much Obama seems willing to give away to get any old health care bill passed. After watching the video of his town hall meeting in New Hampshire, at the suggestion of mem from somerville in yesterday's fine diary, "Obama: wikked smaht"
http://www.dailykos.com/...
I think Obama is settling for less than 'half a loaf' but he's got his eye on the part of the loaf with the diamond ring baked into it.
What Obama seems focused on is "Medicare Advantage Plans". As this nice report from The Commonwealth Fund says,
New York, NY, May 4, 2009—Private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans will be paid $11.4 billion more in 2009 than what the same beneficiaries would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, according to a new report released today by The Commonwealth Fund. This new analysis, The Continuing Costs of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans Jump to $11.4 Billion in 2009, estimates that since MA was enacted in 2004, $43 billion in extra payments have been made.
In the report, Brian Biles, professor of health policy at George Washington University and colleagues find that extra payments to MA plans will amount to an average of $1,138, or 13 percent over fee-for-service costs, for each of about 10 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. The $11.4 billion in extra payments in 2009 represents a 34 percent increase over 2008 payments, which totaled $8.5 billion. According to authors, the steep one-year increase was due to the increase in payment rates and enrollment in the private MA plans.
The bulk of these extra payments were mandated by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which was intended to expand the role of private plans in Medicare in an effort to reduce growth in Medicare spending. Since 2004, MA plan enrollment has increased from 4.8 million to the current 10 million.
Here's a link:
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/...
In other words, in 2003 when the GOP had control of the White House and both houses of Congress, health insurance companies got a sweetheart bill passed that lets them cherry pick the healthy Medicare patients and make a fortune on them. Often, the 'hook' with which they recruit patients is better coverage on the cost of medicines -- there's no 'doughnut hole'.
It's as if Congress catered a feast, and the insurance companies get the steak and lobster and trimmings, while the patients are placated with Dunkin Donuts Munchkins that they can use to 'plug the doughnut hole'.
---------------
All this is a bit complicated to explain at a town hall meeting. But Obama -- and the health insurance companies -- know very well that the current House bill would try to close a monumentally expensive/lucrative loophole. I think it's a great place to start in health care reform. Hospitals, drug companies, medical gadget manufacturers, and some 'procedure oriented' doctors may be overpaid, but they're still providing important things for health care. I can't think of anything we need that health insurance companies provide.