After the CEO of a “health” insurance firm was killed, plenty of commentators are sympathizing with the universal hatred toward “health” insurance. The industry has naturally grown worse since Romneycare aka Obamacare, designed by the Heritage Institution, gave the industry a legally forced monopoly. Guaranteed monopolies MUST be sternly regulated. Strictness is the PRICE for the guarantee. We used to understand this point. We’ve forgotten it now.
But insurers have always denied benefits to some claimants, and insurance firms have always varied in their greed. Selective payment is necessary. Breaking your own promises is not necessary.
Decent companies have always paid more than crappy companies. Back in the 60s State Farm was famous for turning down most claims, so people switched to less greedy insurers. Even the completely mutual Odd Fellows denied about 20% of sickness claims, as I saw when reading their reports from the 1880s. If you allow all claims you will go bankrupt. In fact, paying obviously fraudulent claims is aiding fraud, which is another form of greed.
I was on employer health insurance from 1980 to 2000 and noticed wide variability. DeVry’s insurer paid very rarely. WSU’s state insurance allowed most expenses. Since 2015 I’ve been on Medicare, which is best of all. Medicare pays what it SAYS it will pay.
Real government security does the best job of following the rules, paying for what it SAYS it will pay. Some private insurers routinely break their own rules and promises. Before Romneycare they were punished by customers. Now the customers are stuck.
Both parties are loyally serving the billionaires, so they will continue to give billionaires an unregulated monopoly while taking money from the more decent state and federal security systems.
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Later thought: In the ’30s bankers and millionaires were so universally hated that Dillinger and Capone and Pretty Boy Floyd were folk heroes, celebrated in story and song. In modern terms they were Influencers. When Dillinger endorsed a Ford V8 or a Hudson Terraplane, people bought it. We’re infinitely more regimented and secret-policed now. We know that admiring natural justice will be harshly punished.
Polistra's Mill 