The Health Insurance Game
Dec 20, 2008 Health Insurance
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This video is a skit written by supporters of HR 676 the single payer national health insurance bill in Congress (John Conyers - Michigan). All other industrialized countries have universal national health care. Their medical costs are far less than ours are in the United States but their health outcomes are as good or better.
Americans have seen their health insurance premiums increase by 87% from 2000 to 2006 while their earnings only increased by 20% and the average rate of overall inflation was 18% during the same time period (Kaiser Family Foundation).
Why does your health care cost so much?
Data from the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy show that:
1. The top seven U.S. health insurers earned a combined billion dollars - nearly triple their profits of 5 years earlier (Wall Street Journal, August 2006).
2. In 2004 top executives of the 11 largest health insurers made a combined million per year in one year (Weiss Reports).
3. The 20 largest HMOs in the U.S. made .8 billion in profits in the fiscal year 2005. 12 top HMO executives pocketed 2.6 million in direct compensation in the fiscal year 2005.
4. Dr. William McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealthcare had .6 billion in exercisable options at the end of 2005 (CBN News, Oct. 16, 2006) in addition to his salary.
30%-35% of each dollar of your premium goes to pay for: executive salaries, administration, lobbying, marketing and other non-health care related costs.
It’s time for privately delivered health care with public funding - like our Fire Departments and Police. It’s time for HR 676.
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December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Good point. It’s easy for us who are comfortable to forget that just because we have good health insurance today is no guarantee of good health insurance tomorrow. We can easily join the ranks of the under and uninsured.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Now imagine how the uninsured or underinsured feel. A simple way to make we who are comfortable feel a little of the discomfort. Great beginning.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Thank you for supporting HR 676. For an elegant concise explanation of single payer & HR 676, go to “What is Single Payer” on YouTube. The creators won the Am. Med. Student Ass. HR 676 video contest. It’s excellent.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
This video is a nice illustration that “insurance” companies aren’t in the insurance business, they are in the “middle-man” business. Real insurance is about pooling risk. But these insurance companies are about avoiding risk and expense in order to maximize profits, which is what their shareholders demand. Bad arrangement. GO HR 676!!!
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Valuable family teamwork. From here in Central Europe the problems with health care in the US seem as counfounding as in new Democracies. But it is clear that many caring physicians and programs exist, here as there. I especially value the Balint Groups used at Baylor to teach physicians to be more responsive to their patients. It is a method that is useful and should be considered by all physicians to improve their quality work. Thanks.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
chimoose cracks me up. You’re not part of the health care system, you’re a part of the health care industry and you’re part of the problem. Special interest indeed; can you say “paycheck”? Clearly the person to ask if you need a haircut isn’t the barber, and the person to ask about improving health care accessibility isn’t a health insurance company employee. Go peddle your concern troll garbage elsewhere.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
What a refreshing way to make this complex issue understandable and, especially, to drive home the human consequences of the insurance mess. It certainly did a better job of explaining the situation to my daughter than I was able to do. Thanks!
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
YouTube is not a great venue for political discourse. All attempts are inherently dumbed down because of the vessel, a short internet video. That said,I still think it is a valuable tool for promoting different messages,such as Single Payer, and giving a brief overview of the issue. It is of course an exageration, it is not meant to be taken as completely factual. The creator of the video gave resources for more information, which is full of non-simplified information.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I work for an insurance company. As a member of the health care system as well as a human being, I am in full agreement with the fact that our health “system” is broken. And I also appreciate using creative video to share your message. But when special interests like you try to mislead the public by oversimplifying their problems, you’re no better than a political candidate making campaign promises. Surely you can do better.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Excellent portrail of an outdated, greedy and inhumane system. Blood should be running out under the doors of health insurance companies.