Triple G

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2023/01/13/unitedhealth-group-reports-47-billion-profit-as-optum-and-health-plans-maintain-momentum/?sh=3a4084546837

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/2023/06/14/health-insurance-stocks-tumble-over-spike-in-surgeries-delayed-by-p******c/?sh=c61b398297ba

This is what happens when profits are put over people!

It was certainly a known phenomena that elective surgeries were pushed off during the p******c and that forecasting and budgeting funds in reserves for a later claims time period would be the fiduciary thing to do with some of the profits (excess insured premiums).

Instead, all consumers will pay extra for all healthcare services and premiums will increase to maintain the HC companies' claims to premiums (loss) ratio.

It could have all been predicted and allowed for, but corporate greed prevailed. This adds to the inflationary pressures and will be blamed on Biden.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Actually hospitals are failing more than ever and are severely financially distressed and many are laying off.
Insurance might be making a k*****g but not hospitals.
And yes this mess is 100% owned by FJB and the i***t democrat policies.

Triple G

I predicted you'd be one of the early ones showing your ignorance. But, just for giggles, what Biden admin policies caused this?

If you knew the insurance contracting levers, you'd know that Healthcare companies set case, day & procedure rates based on a sliding scale times volume with lower pricing to drive higher volumes and more profits for both provider snd insurer. Hospitals used a volume assumption at pre-p******c levels and agreed to pricing that gave them adequate earnings. That along with their assumptions of pre-p******c volumes for private payers who pay prevailing market rates would give them their profit cushion. Decreases in volumes in those two categories (insured and private payers) along with an increase in non-insured hospital services created a perfect storm that did great damage to the fiscal health of hospitals.

The Biden Admin. provided aid to hospitals during the p******c. It was a business and human lifesaver. Thank you, President Biden.

https://www.kff.org/c****av***s-c****-**/issue-brief/funding-for-health-care-providers-during-the-p******c-an-update/

https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-275sp

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2765698

Let's see what the McCarthy House will do to keep the Cares Act in the budget. Will you v**e for your representative again if he/she does? Maybe it will be your fault if your local hospital has to close!

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

For the last 15 years or so United healthcare profit margin has been under 7 %.

Educate yourself

pendennis

Actually, the reason for high medical costs, is the lack of free-market forces in the medical field. Patients have very little interface between medical professionals and insurance companies. Fee schedules covering procedures, office visits, medicine, etc., are in a closed-loop system which discourages competition. Originally health care insurance was based on reimbursement to the patient, not direct payments between practitioners and insurance companies.

What you consistently forget, and blather on, and on, and on about, is that you believe that government at all levels, is the solution, and with a few more laws and regulations, we can get to a panacea for healthcare.

Folks who are supposed to be covered under Obamacare, routinely don't buy health insurance; and instead, use hospital ER's and critical care facilities as basic medical care, instead of using regular appointments and preventive care programs which are far less expensive.

In fact, my supplemental insurance premiums (aka Medicare gap insurance) have actually gone down in the past three years (private insurer), while my Medicare premiums have risen the last three years. United Health Care's stock price has risen nearly 80%. Well, no s**t, Sherlock.

That prices for medical care are rising is no surprise to anyone except you. Medical care has a finite number of folks able to perform procedures and can't expand readily to meet rising demand. There have been large numbers of nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals (paramedics, etc.), who've left because of personnel shortages. That prices rise because of shortages in labor is pure, basic economics.

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

Well said!!

Triple G

Since this is about the p******c years, I'm not sure how your comment applies.

It appears that you're attempting to justify profit/gouging taking advantage of p******c market forces that will result in inflationary healthcare prices.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

Still waiting for the Trump plan that was always coming in 2 weeks.

He had 208 weeks and nada.

Triple G

You've missed the point completely. I know what drives healthcare costs very well. This is specifically about the insurance company profits during the p******c years and their taking record profits instead of setting aside enough reserves for delayed expenses they should have been smart enough to predict.

It deals with the reality of what's in place. You, however, took it to the "how we got here" dilemma that's been around since the advent if managed care. I've been around the industry long enough to have once been responsible for setting contractual rates for self insured businesses to provide indemnity plan medical coverage for their employees. The advent of managed care allowed companies to offload the responsibilities of paying claims yet keeping the self insured flexibility of deciding what was to be covered and save money. It turned out to be the start of a major system disrupter.

I think you are the one blathering because I'm an avid proponent of a single payer knon-government system. This would remove the complexities of the duplication of claims systems, company operating costs and profits, multi-layered pricing systems, and overall confusion and frustration of claimants.

If there was a good way to know what would happen to all of the displaced employees and the healthcare company shareholder equity, I'd be even more for it.

Given the system in place and the levers available, what would have been your recommendation to keep necessary and life saving healthcare services available during tge crisis?

No, I do not believe that just throwing more fed money or regulations solve all problems, but in this one instance, I believe it was the only avenue open to Biden. But then, I haven't heard your solution. You just may have a better one.

https://pnhp.org/

https://www.apha.org/Policies-and-Advocacy/Public-Health-Policy-Statements/Policy-Database/2022/01/07/Adopting-a-Single-Payer-Health-System

SteveS Loc: The US is my home.

All you libs loved Obama care, so why aren't you happy he didn't change it?

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

You obviously don’t know what profit margin

Triple G

Sure..that's persuasive.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

Didn't say I wasn't or that I needed it

This registered Independent is currently covered under Medicare and the Medicare Savings Plan. I don't pay the Part B premium and the 20% co-pay is covered for any Medicare approved procedure under the Medicare Savings Plan.

My cataracts surgery didn't cost me a penny.

SteveS Loc: The US is my home.

That's all great, but what does it have to do with you waiting for a Trump plan?

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

I'll be long gone before that ever happens because it never will.