Can we believe anything the Administration tells us about health care?

You'd have to be Rip van Winkle not to know medical insurance premiums rise sharply for 2017.  As they have each year ever since full implementation of Obamacare in 2014.

"President Obama calls this a “transition” because insurers aggressively priced too low to get healthy people to sign up."

Oh, rilly?

This must be why Obama's healthcare advisor Ezekiel Emanuel accused insurers back in 2013 of aggressively increasing their prices before Obamacare went fully into effect.

"Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of Rahm Emanuel and President Obama's health care advisor during the Obamacare debate, conceded last month [February, 2013] that medical insurance premiums are rising.  But, he suggests, the reason is a sinister insurance industry money grab because, don't forget, ACA will make them lower their medical insurance premiums next year."

So which is it?  Did insurers increase their prices before Obamacare as Emanuel claimed?  Or reduce them, as Obama claimed?  

You just can't believe a thing Obama or his administration says.

Not a damn thing.

Misspelling "3000% rate decrease" Part #8392

Sheesh:

 

[click pic to embiggen]

[Hat Tip: FoIB Jeff M]

MediShare: Epilogue

So, the other day I asked about folks' experiences with Health Care Sharing Ministries and, as usual, our readers came through in a big way.

Thank you!

One thing missing, though, was an agent's perspective; that is, from someone who'd actually sold such a plan. Fortunately, I received an email from one such, who's graciously agreed to let me share her story:

"I'm a financial advisor and licensed insurance agent (since ’97). I moved my family to Samaritans two years ago when that insurance we were promised we could keep was no longer available. It took me some time to get comfortable with the idea of believers sharing burdens like this. In part my skepticism was a result of my training in the industry; insure risk, insure risk, insure risk.

Also, my skepticism was partially anchored in knowing human nature. This year we had a small need, $1,800. The plan worked as explained, and receiving notes of encouragement from all those folks was encouraging. It's a privilege to pray for and encourage those to whom we send our monthly contributions, so to receive it in return warmed my soul.

We have found that generally telling doctors that we are cash pay affords better treatment, better pricing, easier appointment times and we've become much more aware of cost [ed: which tracks with what other commenters have noted] as we don't wish to burden the group any more than is absolutely necessary. It's been eye opening to see just how badly and invasive the insurance industry has injected itself between the doctor/patient relationship. Now, even if the ACA is repealed, I don't think I'll go back to regular insurance."

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of input I was seeking.

So, I think at this point that I need to "move on" from my skepticism of this model, at least insofar as this new product is concerned.

Goodbye Snoopy

Long time representative of a large financial institution was given his walking

papers. Easily recognized and loved by all, Snoopy is out of a job.

Metropolitan Life has fired Snoopy.

The largest U.S. life insurer announced Thursday that it will phase out the use of Snoopy and Peanuts characters in its marketing. It also unveiled a new tagline, “MetLife. Navigating life together,” in what the New York-based company called the most significant change to its brand in three decades. - Bloomberg

What is the world coming to?

Next thing you know, AFLAC will say goodbye to Yogi and the duck.

You've misspelled "3000% rate decrease"

Again.

From FoIB Jeff M:

"Arizona’s Obamacare marketplace rates are set to skyrocket as the state’s two remaining insurers in the marketplace raise their rates 50-75 percent."

#Winning!

Health Wonk Review: Mom's always right edition

Peggy Salvatore hosts this week's terrific compendium of health care wonkery, from political prognostications to Big Tobacco.

Not to be missed.

Blast from the Past: Penn Treaty in the News

Co-Blogger Bob just sent me this:

"Penn Treaty and its affiliates are so broke that their unpaid obligations for Pennsylvania are expected to top $500 million, "close to or at the 2 percent cap" for annual surcharges on Pennsylvania health-insurance policy premiums"

So says Sean McKenna, spokesctitter for the national life and health guaranty group [ed: basically FDIC for insurance]. And what does this mean?

Well:

"[Pennsylvania] braces for largest health insurance failure in U.S. history"

Sounds ominous, no?

We first wrote of PT's woes almost exactly 7 years ago, when this whole mess began to unravel for them. This news, though, is much bigger: some $4 billion in the hole, perhaps things would have "passed quietly to reinsurance - a sort of insurer underworld of risk-swapping - if Penn Treaty had been liquidated when it was first taken over."

Oh well, hindsight's always 20/20, right?