Obamacare = good for insurance companies

[viper37]

Health law turn Obama and insurers into allies

WellPoint is a case study in how companies have adapted to the law.
In 2010, as Democrats attacked the insurance industry for what they said were its high prices and discriminatory practices, no company was more of a target than WellPoint, which had sought rate increases of up to 39 percent in California. But WellPoint, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in a number of states, is now prospering.
WellPoint announced recently that it had gained 751,000 subscribers through the health insurance exchanges and 699,000 new members through Medicaid. Since the end of 2013, WellPoint's Medicaid enrollment has increased by 16 percent, to a total of five million.
"Our government business is growing along multiple fronts" and accounted for about 45 percent of the company's consolidated operating revenues, said Joseph R. Swedish, the chief executive of WellPoint.

Who would have tought that private companies would not fail because of a minor change in regulations and the way insurance is distributed??

[MadImmortalMan]

The lobbyists who work for them and wrote most of the law for one.   

[Sheilbh]

The law was basically a grand bargain between government and insurers, so yeah.

[Scipio]

You mean that massive give away of tax funds to insurance companies helps them make money?

NO FUCKING WAY.

[viper37]

The lobbyists who work for them and wrote most of the law for one.   

true, your health care system is still quite a fuck up, but I believe that, overall, it is better than what was before.

[Admiral Yi]

I didn't know you could get Medicaid coverage through a private insurer.

[CountDeMoney]

I didn't know you could get Medicaid coverage through a private insurer.

Who do you think administrates Medicaid?  The Federal government?  No, UnitedHealthCare and their ilk.

[Admiral Yi]

News to me.

[Valmy]

I didn't know you could get Medicaid coverage through a private insurer.

Yeah you were pretty skeptical when I informed you that private insurance companies were the big winners of Obamacare back in the day IIRC.  Not sure why the idea that the Democrats, the soulless sellouts that they are, would do it this way is a surprise to anybody.

[Phillip V]

Received letter in the mail that my parents' Obamacare medical premiums will automatically increase from $60/mo to $250/mo if they keep their existing plan for 2015.

Have not seen a letter for dental premium change yet.

[Valmy]

Received letter in the mail that my parents' Obamacare medical premiums will automatically increase from $60/mo to $250/mo if they keep their existing plan for 2015.

Have not seen a letter for dental premium change yet.

Really?  Automatically?  What happens when they manually increase?

[Admiral Yi]

Yeah you were pretty skeptical when I informed you that private insurance companies were the big winners of Obamacare back in the day IIRC.  Not sure why the idea that the Democrats, the soulless sellouts that they are, would do it this way is a surprise to anybody.

  I'm pretty sure I was never skeptical that private insurance companies (and health care providers) would be the big winners.  It's only natural that a gigantic mandated increase in demand for a service is going to benefit the people who provide that service.

[Valmy]

  I'm pretty sure I was never skeptical that private insurance companies (and health care providers) would be the big winners.

Ah ok I guess it wasn't you.  This was four or five years ago after all.

[DGuller]

Yeah you were pretty skeptical when I informed you that private insurance companies were the big winners of Obamacare back in the day IIRC.  Not sure why the idea that the Democrats, the soulless sellouts that they are, would do it this way is a surprise to anybody.

  I'm pretty sure I was never skeptical that private insurance companies (and health care providers) would be the big winners.  It's only natural that a gigantic mandated increase in demand for a service is going to benefit the people who provide that service.

It wasn't so clear cut, and it isn't even now.  The mandate goes both ways, so viewing it as a giveaway is simplistic.  Insurance companies could really take it in the ass if adverse selection is allowed to take off.

[KRonn]

I didn't know you could get Medicaid coverage through a private insurer.

Yeah you were pretty skeptical when I informed you that private insurance companies were the big winners of Obamacare back in the day IIRC.  Not sure why the idea that the Democrats, the soulless sellouts that they are, would do it this way is a surprise to anybody.

I figure also that the ACA plan requirements to cover everything (even that not needed such as pre-natal care for men and older females) is to jack up premium prices as a boon to insurance companies to get them on board with the bill. That also helps defray costs for things like not being able to deny people for pre-existing coverage. But yeah, the insurance companies should come out as winners in this, as they were part of the deal making in the bill from what I've read.