Comments (24) (Please sign in to comment)

1. 

   Radish said, about 3 years ago

   What a misuse of Wallace and Gromit…
2. 

   petergrt said, about 3 years ago

   With all these high premiums one would think that they - the insurance companies, would ache out better than 2.5% returns … .

   Well, I guess we need the efficiency of government apparatchiks to lower the cost and improve the quality of our health care, just as they are doing with our education system …. .One success begets another.
3. 

   Yekatman said, about 3 years ago

   petergirt -

   This is about regulating rapacious insurance companies, not improving quality, which is more than adequate.

   Americans already pay more for healthcare than any developed country, and we don’t cover over 45 million people - that’s almost 1 in 6 Americans.

   Try getting your information somewhere else than Fox “News.”
4. 

   blackash said, about 3 years ago

   Say, Yekatman,Try getting your information from somewhere besides the left-wing media.

   Some health insurance organizations are mutual companies, meaning the premium payers own the companies.

   These profits are red herrings. All of the profits from the health insurance companies last year would pay for only three or four days of the country’s health care.
5. 

   JDG said, about 3 years ago

   The executives and the board have control of the money and accounting. The bottom line is controlled by salaries, bonuses, buildings that rival the taj mahal, etc. Hence a very small bottom line. Very hard to get the policy holders to vote them out as long as the majority are happy.
6. 

   petergrt said, about 3 years ago

   So, the insurance companies are unregulated behemoths out to destroy America … .

   It seems that the state Insurance Commissioners and other government apparatchiks don’t exist.

   Accordingly, 2+2=2/2
7. 

   motivemagus said, about 3 years ago

   You guys are hilarious! You actually think stated profits are an indicator of how much money insurance companies make? Try checking out the salaries and bonuses of insurance company executives. Try checking out the money they spend on things like management consultants (the insurance industry spends more on outside consultants than any other industry in the world). All of that counts against profits, eh?
8. 

   davesmithsit said, about 3 years ago

   Fact is the biggest bunch of screwups in the world are trying to take over your health decisions and you libby lefties dont have a problem with that?
9. 

   dtroutma said, about 3 years ago

   Okay- take “non-profit”- then look at what Elizabeth Dole’s salary was raised to when she took over the American Red Cross. “Profitability” is counted AFTER the salaries and bonuses come out- boards of directors are most happy to keep profits down, when they’re raking off the top.
10. 

    Jade said, about 3 years ago

    “With all these high premiums one would think that they - the insurance companies, would ache out better than 2.5% returns … .”

    • Wow, I wonder how with that “mere 2.5%” profit margin they manage to make more for ONE executive than could pay the entire Congress’ salary. Not including how many executives at just ONE insurance company can make more than a million dollars a year. Those poor, struggling insurance companies.
    • Gosh, I hope no one’s been dropped recently to help double profits while insuring fewer people.

    ”“Profitability” is counted AFTER the salaries and bonuses come out-“

    Imagine how much more of that struggling “2.5%” profit margin could be “profit” if one person didn’t make 26 million of it, including so many others in that single executive board pulling in over 1 million. Imagine. They wouldn’t be so “unprofitable.”
11. 

    petergrt said, about 3 years ago

    The average salary of a government apparatchik is around $70K, while private employees get about 50K.
12. 

    biemmezeta said, about 3 years ago

    How about the millions (15 million) that don’t want health care. I know because I was one of them for about 15 years>
13. 

    Justice22 said, about 3 years ago

    We are being taken to the cleaners by the insurance companies and only our wallets are getting cleaned.
14. 

    Jade said, about 3 years ago

    “How about the millions (15 million) that don’t want health care. I know because I was one of them for about 15 years>”

    • Because if you get sick or hurt and need to use the emergency room and don’t have insurance that ~$1000+ cost gets absorbed by everyone else. It isn’t “free.”
15. 

    stuperfan said, about 3 years ago

    I find it so aggrevating that neither side of nearly every political discussion will actually listen to the opposing side. The Government and Media (both sides, both the previous and current administrations, and just about every media source) have everyone busy name calling and blathering on about what is wrong with this side or that’s position. Wake up people. We better start listening and working together, or our country is toast.

    PS. I agree with Radish…
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