Tag Archives: Humana

Those dirty rotten insurance companies…

Posted on October 5, 2009 by | 2 Comments

From Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Connecticut attorney general is seeking information about what the state’s five largest health insurers may have sent policyholders over legislation that would reform the Medicare program for the elderly.

The information requests announced on Friday follow a U.S. government probe announced last month into a letter sent from Humana Inc (HUM.N) to its Medicare members that caused a stir on Capitol Hill.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wants information from Aetna Inc (AET.N), UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH.N), Health Net (HNT.N), WellPoint Inc’s (WLP.N) Anthem Health Plans unit and ConnectiCare Inc.

Let me summarize: The Attorney General of Connecticut was irritated that Humana had the audacity to inform its members of relevant legislative changes, and wants to ensure that the other insurance companies are staying in line.

To quote the President – let’s be clear about this… it’s purely a way for the state to monitor private industry. It’s part of the game. They’re finding ways to demonize the companies and shut them down. It’s a way to limit your options, Connecticut.

Eliminating options seems to be a pattern. There is a HuffPo piece (yes, click at your own risk)  that refers to the battle between public and private insurers “political extortion”.  Seriously?

The fiscal truth of the matter is Medicare cannot afford to continue to give away $169 billion dollars of taxpayer funds to America’s insurance industry. The industry is quick to highlight extra benefits provided to MA beneficiaries (such as eyeglasses, dental coverage, and gym memberships) but why shouldn’t these benefits be provided to all seniors, not just those in private plans?

First of all, this begs the obvious: we can’t afford to subsidize… but we can afford to provide a public option that gives everyone those benefits? Um…

Second – it shouldn’t be provided to all seniors because some people pay more. All health care is not created equal. Medicare Advantage is a higher level of care. If seniors want to pay more and have more benefits, they should have that choice.

Ed Morrissey asks:

Do you recall the many occasions when Barack Obama said, “If you like your current plan, you can keep it”? Why doesn’t that apply to Medicare Advantage consumers?

Because it’s not true, Ed. That’s why. It’s another step in systematically eliminating options. Everyone gets care… the same sub-par care. Even when they’re willing to pay for better.

Awesome.

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Posted in Congress, Health Care, Policy Issues, Politics

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Letters to Sebeilius: Drop the gag order.

Posted on September 25, 2009 by | 2 Comments

Who knew they still had a spine?

Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) — Senate Republicans vowed to block President Barack Obama’s nominee for surgeon general and other health officials unless the government drops what they said is a “gag order” barring insurers from lobbying their Medicare policyholders on the health-insurance overhaul.

The move by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and seven other Republicans would delay confirmation of almost a dozen nominees for Health and Human Services positions, including Dr. Regina Benjamin to become surgeon general.

“Until your department rescinds its gag order and allows seniors to receive information about matters before Congress, we will not consent” to move forward with the confirmations, the eight Republicans said in a letter today to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

How’s that whole transparency thing working out, huh? I’m actually kind of shocked that they called it what it is – a gag order. What else can you really call legally silencing a private company?

Humana has every right in the world to disseminate information to their insured. In fact, they have an OBLIGATION to do so! There are Clintonian rules still in place that allow insurers keep their insured informed about legislative changes.

But why on earth would the one calling for dialogue and action work so hard to shut down opposing voices? Easy: the facts are inconvenient. The “solution” driven left seems to ignore the fact that there are ethics involved. That maybe companies have a reponsibility to let the people that rely on them for their health care know that their coverage may be affected.

“Republicans jeopardize their own credibility when they choose to defend big insurance companies trying to make false claims about senior citizens,” Schultz said.

Except… they may not actually be false. No one can seem to prove otherwise. Instead of doing so, they issue nothing short of a gag order to keep the whole thing under wraps, and hope it goes away.

Read the letter to Sebelius here. Yes, that’s Grassley’s signature… I was surprised too.

My bet? They’re hanging on by a thread, desperately trying to sell this false ideological argument, and praying that the short attention span of the general public allows this to slip through.

Don’t let it happen.

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Posted in Congress, Democrats, GOP, Health Care, Obama, Policy Issues, Politics

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Killing private insurers… it begins.

Posted on September 22, 2009 by | 2 Comments

From the Wall Street Journal:

Earlier this month, Humana sent a one-page letter to its customers enrolled in its Medicare Advantage plans, which offer private options to Medicare beneficiaries. Humana noted that, because of spending cuts proposed by Democrats, “millions of seniors and disabled individuals could lose many of the important benefits and services that make Medicare Advantage health plans so valuable.” The Kentucky-based company also urged its customers to contact their Representatives. Pretty tame stuff, as these things go.

Tame, yes. Also true.  So there’s that. Humana was audacious enough to call out the Baucus plan for the potential danger to seniors. We wouldn’t want people knowing what the Baucus plan would actually do to private insurers, now would we?! Therefore, Baucus declared war.

“It is wholly inappropriate for insurance companies to mislead seniors regarding any subject—particularly on a subject as important to them, and to the nation, as health-care reform,” Mr. Baucus said in a statement yesterday, playing the role of Congressional censor. “The health-care reform bill we released last week strengthens Medicare and does not cut benefits covered under the Medicare program—and seniors need to know that.”

The truth? As it stands currently, the Baucus plan slashes Medicare Advantage by $123 billion over the next ten years.

Mr Baucus’ solution to avoid the backlash that comes from slashing these programs, the ones that help seniors afford private insurers, is to keep them in the dark. If they don’t know any better, then there won’t be any fall out and he can start killing of private companies. Because that’s what this plan is about. None of the people involved actually want there to be healthy competition between public and private insurers. They want the public option to succeed.

In Humana’s specific case, nearly 50% of their annual revenue comes from – you guessed it – Medicare Advantage. Now, if Medicare Advantage is slashed by, I repeat, $123 billion… how is that encouraging competition? Meanwhile, CMS has decreed that all Advantage insurers stop the flow of information.

I suppose that’s what you get for trying to tell the truth. You get bludgeoned to death by your adversary.

Wait, how is this discourse supposed to fix our health care system again?

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Posted in Democrats, Health Care, Policy Issues, Politics

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