Health insurance hikes stun small businesses

[andym]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

While Anthem Blue Cross has been taking the heat for proposing rate increases of up to 39 percent on individual consumers, other health insurers have stunned some small businesses with hikes that in some cases exceed 75 percent.

Tom Simmons, president of an Oakland design and consulting firm with four employees, said he had just read about the Anthem increases when he opened a letter from his insurer, Blue Shield of California, informing him his monthly family premium would go up to $1,596 a month from $908, a nearly 76 percent increase.

"This industry is getting out of control. It makes me fearful of future years and what could become of things if something doesn't change," said Simmons, whose business health insurance policy also covers his family of three.

......


Meanwhile, businesses in the small-group market - those with fewer than 50 employees - are reeling from the latest spikes in their health rates. Those who reported the highest rate increases appeared to have a high deductible Blue Shield policy paired with a savings account.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/25/MNLV1C78RH.DTL

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Small group health insurance rates are even more out of control than individual policies in California. Note that Blue Shield of CA is actually a non-profit. Why do they need a 76% rate increase? Are medical costs really going up that fast?
And if they are going up so fast, why?

[krispos42]

1. Universal single-payer IS pro-business!

Just not pro-insurance-company.


It's also pro-people, pro-growth, pro-fiscal-responsibility, and pro-freedom.




But the insurance companies have the cash, and it's not the free speech that is said, it's the free speech that is heard. And damn, does that pile of cash make their free speech LOUD!!!

[midnight]

10. Good point- Corporate free speech is louder.....

[izquierdista]

18. If people quit paying in

Then insurance companies won't have any cash. You have to be a sucker to pay in to a system when the only payout is "coverage declined".

[Overseas]

20. I agree. Open up Medicare to all through reconciliation. National Health Security

is important to our national security-- take those costs from the defense budget.

[ashling]

2. Small business would be helped by Single Payer

:shrug:

[M155Y_A1CH]

15. Absolutely

Large employers get much better group insurance rates than do
small businesses with only a few workers.

It's like Walmart, you have to buy in volume to get a reasonable price.

If the burden of health insurance were removed, it would benefit the little guy most.

[aquart]

3. Get healthcare off the back of American business!

Make our entrepreneurs competitive again!

[dflprincess]

17. Small businesses - which are the most inventive are the ones who would benefit most

which explains why larger coporations (the ones not in the health insurance racket) aren't screaming for single payer. - They don't want to compete with the little guys.

[aquart]

19. Exactly. Small startups would start to roar.

They wouldn't need nearly as much venture capital. And they could begin to compete for the best and most experienced talent. A 40-year-old could take the risk of giving the benefit of his expertise. We could use American talent.

[tsuki]

4. What happened in Florida, after Jeb Bush and Bill Nelson dismantled

Lawton Chiles health insurance reforms for small business, is that the rates went up so quickly that small business was unable to keep participating.

I asked an insurance man about it, and he said that the insurance companies wanted to price small business group into private policies for larger profits. It was easier to disallow medical coverage rather with private insurance. Private insurance is regulated by the state.

Most of the senate's "reforms" were the "reforms" that were easily dismantled in Florida under 'deregulation' and 'the level playing field' the GOP is always blathering about.

[truthisfreedom]

5. These insurance companies are going to push through the public option by sheer brazen greed alone.

And then they'll be fucked.

[barbtries]

7. man i hope so

i hope every person opening one of these little envelopes gets on board and gets on the phone to their senator, today. i just wrote to kay hagan earlier to chew her out for not doing her job. the senate is a bad joke.

[northernlights]

11. first thought that came to my mind

keep it up, anthem. keep it up. :evilgrin:

they're digging their own grave with these outrageous hikes.

[PSPS]

12. Sadly, no. They're doing this because they know obama is with them.

[barbtries]

6. i don't think it's because of medical costs

i think it's because of the CEO's salary and bonus.
oh yeah, and the price of lawmakers.

[boppers]

8. The love of my life gets an injection every few months.

That injection "costs" $3,600.

That breaks down to charging $1,200 a month for a single medicine.

[Mumble]

13. My 86 y.o. mom has breast cancer....

...and gets a $3600 shot every month plus a doctor bill for $450. This has been going on for 2 years now. The Doc spends 10 minutes with her talking about what she watches on tv followed by a quick 2 minute exam. Last year she was in the hospital for a week with pneumonia...bill $36000. Last year it cost a little over $100,000 in medical bills.

[Downwinder]

14. That is the standard going rate for MS medications. n/t

[bulloney]

9. USA! USA! USA! We have the best health care system in the world!

30% annual rate hikes are a part of having the best system in the world. We don't need no stinkin' socialized medicine!

And Republicans work for the best interests of small businesses.

Oh, and for those who aren't picking it up...
:sarcasm:

[heli]

16. Good old price gouging and profiteering

[classysassy]

21. A heartless cold congress

The only way to reign in the crooks in congress,remove the money enforce the law,bribery is against the law,enforce it.Campaign finance reform is badly needed,no more buying and selling congresscritters,those crooks were elected to do the peoples business but they are giving the people the business.