Calling The Bluff

by Dick Mac

Health insurance companies have driven up the price of their policies with impunity for the past thirty years.

These increases have not been implemented to cover the rising cost of medicine, the increases have been to increase the profits only of the insurance companies.

In fact, insurance companies have capped and controlled the profits, incomes, and business practices of doctors and health care administrators across the nation, while increasing the salaries or their own executives and padding the profits of their shareholders.

Don't get me wrong: I am all for executives and shareholders getting their share of things; but, I do not support the increase in compensation and profits while the distribution of resources is diminished.

People are unable to get insurance, the insured pay their premiums at the expense of other necessities, and employers reduce the coverage their employees help pay for. Why? Not because doctors are making a fortune, but so that insurance companies can have more, more, more.

The health insurance companies have threatened that they will increase the cost of insurance if the federal government tries to implement any programs that help the uninsured become insured.

Well, health insurance companies are going to raise our premiums irrespective of our attempts to insure the needy.

If we eliminate all programs that protect citizens from predatory insurance companies, if we give the insurers everything they want, they are still going to raise the cost of our premiums.

Their threat is idle: we already know our premiums will go up.

I hope that Congress will ignore the threats of the insurance companies and continue to work for health coverage for all Americans.

Ignore the threats. Call their bluff!