GAO Study Confirms the Obvious About Health Insurance: Fixed Markets Claiming to be Free Markets Need Competition

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 09/01/2009 - 11:38am.

Analysis

BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Meg White

You know that stuff we all learned about free markets and competition in Econ 101? Turns out it actually applies to the health insurance industry.

Yesterday the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a letter to Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI). The agency's letter accompanied a report concluding a study of competition in the health insurance industry commissioned by the senator.

The GAO looked at 41 peer-reviewed articles published between January 1990 and March 2009 that examined competition in the private health insurance industry from a variety of angles. With all the input, several of the cases examined did not have clear-cut conclusions. For example, in the case of reimbursement rates, sometimes competition raised the amount of money doctors and hospitals were paid, and other times the opposite occurred.

Considering the wide time range and the fact that these studies were based on states and smaller geographic regions, variation in conclusions is perhaps unsurprising. However, two key elements to the runaway costs of health insurance in this country had unambiguous results.

The GAO found that competition led to lower premiums for customers and lower profits for health insurance companies, stating that "greater competition was associated with lower profits," and that "more competitive markets were associated with lower premium rates."

Masters of the obvious, unite! To anyone with even the tiniest grasp on free markets, the conclusion of this study makes sense: Competition is good for the consumer, not the conglomerate shareholder.

But will anyone read this 11-page letter outside Sen. Kohl's office?

I doubt this document will make much of an impression on the other side of the aisle. It seems Republicans feel truly free market competition is only good when it applies to arguments for deregulation, not actually breaking up monopolies.

And it certainly didn't make a splash in the news. Maybe that's because it's stating the obvious. But much as the obvious needs to be stated in other healthcare reform debates (for example, repeatedly confirming that death panels do not exist) I'd like to invite the much-maligned "Captain Obvious" to the healthcare debate.

At the very least, a captain-of-the-obvious approach for healthcare reformers would certainly take some of the burden off the poor folks at the Annenberg Center's FactCheck.org. In a weary blog entry posted last Friday and tellingly titled "TGIF," fact checker Joe Miller begins as follows:

August traditionally may be a slow news month in the nation’s capital, but the bogus claims have continued to fly in the final full week of meteorological summer. This week, we’ve written about health care, health care and, oh yeah, more health care.

That same day, Fact Check produced a refutation of one popular chain e-mail containing a whopping 26 lies (along with a handful of misleading claims for good measure) about healthcare. Many of them are so nonsensical that they fall into a category of items that could be combated with, well, a mastery of the obvious. There are so many, and Fact Check does such a great job of refuting them, I urge you to check out the original post. But for argument's sake, let's take just one of the more obviously bogus claims:

Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Health care Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.

Fact Check rates this claim as false, pointing out that the section the e-mail author refers to "says that government employees of the health insurance exchange will have access to federal tax information for purposes of determining eligibility for affordability credits available for low- and moderate-income Americans. In other words, in order to qualify for a government subsidy to purchase health insurance, the government needs to confirm your income. And, no surprise, the government already has access to your federal tax information. The bill also says nothing about 'ALL… financial and personal records.'"

But if you take a look at this claim through the eyes of a Captain Obvious, one has to wonder whether this e-mailer has ever heard of the IRS. Furthermore, why would the government seize any and all of your financial information? And doesn't it just make sense that if you're going to be approved to get a discounted health insurance plan, you should be able to prove that you qualify? Do we really want millionaires scamming the system for free healthcare?

I propose the DNC begin a slap-me-on-the-forehead-duh-hey movement, wherein they address these healthcare reform concerns head on, but with a wry smile. A sample suggestion might read something like this:

Do you really believe that your government is run by a bunch of socialists who want to kill your grandma, insure illegal immigrants but deny coverage to disabled people and pre-determine for you every healthcare choice in your life? Do you really believe that every time H.R. 3200 uses the word "community" that it's referring to the nonprofit known as ACORN? I mean, really?

The answer should be obvious.

BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

Original image courtesy of cekrypton2's photostream on Flickr.

Login or register to post comments
Printer-friendly version

Women in summer would like

Submitted by qrs521 on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 12:46am.

Women in summer would like to become beautiful. Everything can grab other's eyes is their best friends.Products make them beauty and confident is their favourite. Look in the street,you can see many different types of make up to show women's personality.

Welcome to the shop, the following is our products, free shipping.

Soccer Shoes Cheap Soccer Shoes Nike Soccer Shoes Adidas Soccer Shoes Nike Soccer Shoes sale Adidas Soccer Shoes sale UGG UGGs UGG Boot UGG Boots UGG Boots Sale Cheap UGG Boots UGG Boots Cheap Women UGG boots ugg boots cardy ugg cardy boots Nike Air Nike Air Max Nike Air Max Shoes Nike SB Nike Dunk Nike Dunk SB Nike Dunk SB Shoes Nike Shox Nike Shox Shoes Timberland Timberland sale Timberland boots Timberland boots online Timberland on sale New timberland boots Women Bags Women Bags Sale Women Handbags Women Handbags Sale Women New Bags Cheap Bags Cheap Bags On Sale UGG UGG boots UGG boots sale UGG boots short Short ugg Short ugg boots Ugg boots tall New women bags New women bags sale New women bags sale online Louis Vuitton Handbags Gucci bags Nike Nike Shoes Nike Shoes Sale Nike running Nike running shoes Nike trainers Nike trainers shoes Timberland Timberland boots Timberland boots sale Timberland boot Timberland boot sale Timberland boots cheap Men timberlands MBT MBT Shoes MBT Chapa GTX MBT Men Shoes MBT Women Shoes Discount MBT Shoes LV Handbags Gucci Handbags Chanel Handbags Chloe Handbags D&G Handbags Dior Handbags Fendi Handbags Hermes Handbags Jimmy Choo Bags Marc Jacobs Bags Miu Miu Handbags Mulberry Bags Prada Handbags Versace Handbags Yves Saint Laurent Balenciaga Bags Burberry Handbags LV Handbags Gucci Handbags Chanel Handbags Chloe Handbags D&G Handbags Dior Handbags Fendi Handbags Hermes Handbags Jimmy Choo Bags Marc Jacobs Bags Miu Miu Handbags Mulberry Bags Prada Handbags Versace Handbags Yves Saint Laurent Balenciaga Bags Burberry Handbags

Those who want to become most beautiful in the world should try them. Just ones can make you different. Girls who want to grab your boyfriends's heart is necessary to use them.

This article is to my

Submitted by goodxo.com on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 7:16pm.

This article is to my feelings, thanks for your sharing, hoping to see more useful content, refueling,We are a Chinese supplier, we provide the best bag bag and clothes,ghd Moncler clothing P90x ghd Moncler Jackets Men Moncler Jackets Women

cartier jewelry

Submitted by czq on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 9:41pm.

Cartier Jewelry do you remember, there are many fine jewelry, such as: Cartier bracelet, Cartier Rings , Cartier necklaces and Cartier Earrings. I've bought a few pieces of Cartier Love , you believe it, really great, I took some photos. Take some time and your family go to Cartier Jewelry buy Cartier bracelet. After all, a good jewelry that will be your family's treasured gift. I am pleased to share with you Cartier Jewelry bring life. Hey look!

P90x workout : weblog p90x

Submitted by niuzai533 on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 9:36pm.

P90x workout : weblog p90x workout p90x workout in many of the product, the rosetta stone spanish is one of the most popular, the reason is very. Fitness P90x Reviews dvd insanity workouts ,beachbody p90x,rosetta stone p90x workout dvd insanity workout dvd rosetta stone brazil butt P90x workout lift fitness dvdsrosetta stone language level insanity set with audio insanity workout companion us.

chanel bags

Submitted by Miu Miu bags on Wed, 07/28/2010 - 1:49am.

If you appetence to go big time and achieve big money fast and easy, afresh you should get abounding Miu Miu bags. Rather than get 18-carat online autograph that would be abounding at an absonant price, Miu Miu Handbags online will crop bigger address margins and achieve academy profits. But afore you exhausted into the abounding Miu Miu bag sale supplier.

Replica Handbags are precise copies of the original brand Handbags, eg:LV Handbags of creativity is endless, LV 2010 is bound to make your mood, enjoying to spend a vacation.It is expected that by 2015 the growing middle class and the balenciaga handbags sale rich will make China the largest consumer.Penelope accessorized a beautiful outfit by Prada bags and Prada handbag Wyeth Designs with a coordinating beige chanel Classic flap handbag with gold hardware and chanel bags are all very unique and luxury .one of the world's most famous design handbags brand and more at the cheapest prices is the Marc Jacobs Medium.Gucci is the leading name in luxury and style. With its outstanding quality, exceptional beauty, and the finest Italian craftsmanship, Gucci bags offers you only the best of the best. ... so even connoisseurs can't make the differences between replicas and real ones.they are recognized as masterpieces of art all over the world. Our Replica Handbags can give you the same quality for better price.

Mulberry Handbags ia a famous UK-based design for its creative and quality leather products.Mulberry Roxanne is famous for its uniting style and sophistication,stand out of greatest detailing. Also Mulberry Elgin have set new trend and become much desired objects to possess. So what are you waiting for?!

The first thing you notice

Submitted by liumang on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 3:21am.

The first thing you notice about this shoe is bright red top. footwear upper also includes money in detail. White is put into use on the inner wall, Nike swoosh, sole, laces, and other regions around the sneaker.This Nike Classic BW Amer textiles comes in a new White / Pink / Blue colorway. shoes sneakers Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, nike sneakers are Cole Haan, which designs,despite their ban in 2002. cheap jordans is one of the world's cities most polluted by plastic bags, asics running shoes

Excellent concept! Brand

Submitted by sarafoster on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 12:18pm.

Excellent concept! Brand image can be reinforced by brand communications. You need to focus both on offline and online medium. Social media is an important place where you can communicate one to one with your traget audience. Moscow hotels

Would love to see more designs. vey cool! Good work, thank you

Submitted by www123 on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 8:32pm.

When woman go out, they

Submitted by qrs521 on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 2:12am.

When woman go out, they never forget to take women bags with her in many occasions ,in the earliest time , carrying a women handbag just bring a convenience for woman to keep change, keys, cellphones, credit cards, lipstick and other makeup, comb, pens, and all the other make up things . and then, it become a fishion decoration ,sometimes it just a fashion accessory, Ladies with different cheap bags will give you different impressions, So a beautiful lady should have many different handbags to match different occasions. So women, I want to give a piece of advice, you really need to own different new women bags> that are in different colors , different style and different size.
Women bags sale should match well with the clothes and shoes they , and match well the occasion, so you need different style<women handbags sale, and I believe you must don’t want to be out of fashion, so the new style is a must, Women Handbags Sale if you want to catch up with the fishion, you need to come to our store often, we can give you a sight of fishion.I think authentic Louis Vuitton Handbags and Gucci bags are too expensive.New women bags sale online is very convenient for you to choose your favorite bags .Women New Bags.
We have a reliable replica cheap bags on sale that can give you a high quality replica cheap handbags , New women bags sale online and the price is reasonable. The design and quality of the bags are excellent. That’s because the materials we use are in good quality.
UGG boots cardy for some fans are the only other option for online auctions uggs sites.Unfortunately offer at this time of year, just over the brand new women uggs for less money. Due to the demand, new women uggs probably sold in their pricing. Many know that Classic Tall Ugg Boots not the cheapest shoes in the city. During the shopping season, UGG boots short you should expect to pay more than a hundred dollars for a new pair of uggs This is the perfect time for sellers to their peers because of frustrated fans definitely become Classic Short Ugg Boots auction auction sites, if Short ugg boots can not find what they are doing in the regular pages.
When you have one pair of women ugg boots , you may love wearing them all the time . Uggs are made of sheepskin materials to keep warm, so that you could wear Ugg boots tall in winter even in rainy days, which could keep your feet dry

When you find the dirt around uggs during your hiking, and you have to clean them. So firstly you need to find some water, like the lake. You began taking off your UGG cardy boots and started wiping the exterior using a brisk but soft motion to free your boots off excess dirt.

Quality or real Timberland boots are designed with double-faced sheepskin that will ease your feet with comfort Timberland boot sale.Timberland boots sale are originating in America, Timberland sale it is made of sheepskin and trademarked chukka boots shoes name for the Timberland boots brand. Along with new timberland boots can be expensive like other designer fashions, many people cant afford to them but like them very much, Timberland boots sale so it turns out that a lot of them try to save money by buying cheap Timberland boots. This article will help to Learn how to Recognize fake Timberland boots online so you are not duped and save your dollars.

You can be careful while buying timberlands:Timberland on sale1 Usually, the stitching quality and the finishing design of the fake Timberland boots cheap is very meager when compared to the real ones. You can identify counterfeit boots by looking at the soles and logos. Soles of fake timberlands are extremely rigid while women’sroll-top boots the soles of the real ones are highly flexible or Men timberlands.Every Nike Dunk, not just includes a two-color top, but in addition possesses a two-textured basic as well. The side sections, Nike Shoes Sale toe field as well as collar region are generally carried out up in suede, while the remainder of the base includes pebbled leather-based. Additionally, each and every Nike shoes also has a different shoelace color that will unquestionably gives each one sneaker a get noticed look.

So are you excited already with all these new updates coming about Nike Dunk SB High? I am sure you are glad to hear about this especially if you are a Nike Dunk SB shoes fan.

Recently, we have seen a couple of Air Max nike shoes samples. All of these Nike Air Max Shoes sale have been nice, but none were as good as the one you see here. Take a look at this Nike Air Max 90 , as it comes in a dark army colorway. This Nike Air Max 90 Current is finished off with a clean white midsole and a white/dark army outsole. Do you like them?

Nike shox shoes are one of the best shoes in nike brand.Today I verry happy,because we can provide all kinds of series nike running Shoes and other cheap nike trainers shoes for Nike trainers online, Nike running shoes and keep updating our stock with new colors and styles.
With the world’s best workmanship and most fashionable design,these Nike Shox Shoes are very popular with the masses.These Nike shox shoes offer comfort and a beautifully delicate design. Nike trainers shoes You will love this sleek and comfortable Shox shoes which is your gotta-have Nike shox shoes on sale.

Pure Ghd Iv hair straighteners sales. have big surprise for mother’s day!It is really a wonderful nwes for us. hair straighteners sales We know that there are several days for mother’s day. As daughter, it is necessary for us to send a GHD straighteners for our mother.With excellent features that are highly effective and efficient colorful ghd gold hair straighteners,such as purple ghd strairhteners, GHD straighteners sales came to fulfill the trendy youth culture, allowing them to create ringlets BOSE headphones discount, frizzy, straight, curls and many more to their hair.CHI iron straightens my hair! I have coarse, curly, bushy hair that only straightened with a large round brush and blowdryer. With cheap CHI iron this Cheap CHI flat iron I just wash, air dry then straigten.Now there are many CHI iron sales online ,if you like ,you will buy them CHI iron sales.

This is MBT shoes shop! The shop sale for MBT men shoes and MBT women shoes .Today I would like to talk about two kinds of MBT shoes for you.First ,is MBT Chapa GTX.The MBT Chapa GTX feature rich nubuck leather with single-layer mesh upper bodies for strong but breathable wear.
Mbt chapa shoes are absolutely the best choice for winter! To simulate the collection.The other is MBT Changa. MBT Changa features two adjustable buckled straps and threaded contrast ribbon accents.Our online soccer store caters to all sizes and styles of player including men's soccer footwear,Soccer Shoes and youth soccer cleats for kids and children. From the serious hardcore soccer player's professional soccer shoes to the weekend casual soccer shoe, you'll find it at SoccerPro.com. SoccerPro is a registered authorized retailer for Cheap Soccer Shoes and accessories. Get into the newest styles off the line such as the Nike Superfly or the Nike CTR 360 soccer shoes. If you like the more classic shoes, perhaps you should stick with the Nike Total 90 collection or the Nike Talaria series. Nike Soccer Shoes sale are also pleased to bring you the latest in Nike Soccer Shoes cleat technology with the select Nike Mercurials, specifically designed for the female soccer player in mind. We are also a licensed reseller of Adidas Soccer Shoes, and have all the latest styles in stock. SoccerPro offers a wide selection of the latest Adidas Soccer Shoes sale cleats and the most recent release of the Adidas Predator series for the serious soccer athlete. We also offer more classic Adidas soccer cleat designs such as the Adidas Copa Mundial and Adidas Sambas.

Hannity Has No Shame!!!

Submitted by kevsters on Tue, 09/01/2009 - 1:33pm.

Republicans like Sean Hannity will do and say anything to kill health care. Watch this video of Hannity and guest claiming that Democrats care more about Kennedy's vote than they do about Kennedy himself.

Just vulgar!

http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=2764

Get FREE BuzzFlash News Alerts

User login