Digby nails the utter stupidity of the Baccus Bill. It would place burdens on those least able to afford it...
Updated: More evidence of insurance company tricks
Digby wrote this today...
The idea that these alleged Democrats would actually insist that uninsured people be forced by law to write huge checks to to the loathed insurance companies is mind-boggling. They seem intent upon taking what should be an historic progressive achievement and turning it into a hated, regressive tax on their own constituents, which is so politically obtuse I don't know how to process it.
I totally agree. How can a nominally Democratic majority force people to subsidize, through premiums and premium subsidies from the government, private companies that are the major driver of price increases that are 3 times (and more) than inflation? Where are the cost controls that keep premiums from rising as they have over the last 10 years? Where are the guarantees that insurance companies will stop the odious practice of rescission, where insurers find some tiny mistake in an the reams of forms they deem necessary to deny you care when you have a major medical expense? Where are the regulations that prevent insurers from automatically denying almost all claims over a certain amount, just to hang on to your premium money a bit longer? Insurance companies live by the 3 Ds: Delay, dispute, deny. Where are the regulations to stop this? Where is the guarantee that people won't be forced into medical bankrupcy, whether or not they have insurance? If I am forced to buy insurance, I demand a public, medicare for all, type of plan where my premiums are not subsidizing insurance company CEOs multimillion dollar salaries and bonuses. Why should I be forced to support an industry that actively makes my life harder, by forcing me through paperwork hell every time I go to the doctor? It's time to stand up and demand better from our elected officials.
Update: AmandaM's diary included this new way that insurers can misuse information to deny coverage...
An untold number of people have been rejected for medical coverage for a reason they never could have guessed: Insurance companies are using huge, commercially available prescription databases to screen out applicants based on their drug purchases.
Privacy and consumer advocates warn that the information can easily be misinterpreted or knowingly misused. At a minimum, the practice is adding another layer of anxiety to a marketplace that many consumers already find baffling.
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Most consumers and even many insurance agents are unaware that Humana, UnitedHealth Group , Aetna, Blue Cross plans, and other insurance giants have ready access to applicants' prescription histories. These online reports, available in seconds from a pair of little-known intermediary companies at a cost of only about $15 per search, typically include voluminous information going back five years on dosage, refills, and possible medical conditions. The reports also provide a numerical score predicting what a person may cost an insurer in the future.