[PixelB]

The primary function of insurance companies is to make a profit and serve their investors. These are publicly traded companies and only care about making that dollar; in this case, they make money by denying people healthcare and business is booming. Aetna for example has seen a 400% jump in their stock prices in the last 5 years.[1]

You really do sound like you work for the insurance industry, claiming their functions are necessary (even though every other country manages without them). Also, government run healthcare is bad because they are going to shoot people (or threaten to) and put them in jail for not paying their medical bills? Come on.. are you serious?

>>Personally, I feel that the government's tactic of taking someone's freedom for refusal to participate is much worse than refusing coverage, which is what the private companies do.

Oh fuck right the fuck off. The government does not throw people in jail for not having health insurance or if they can not afford it. Refusing/denying coverage KILLS PEOPLE. You sound like someone who's got it made (so screw everyone else right?), and doesn't give 2 shits about anyone but themselves.

[1]http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=AET

[nradov]

That is simply wrong. Most health "insurance" companies no longer provide much actual insurance anymore. Instead they provide claims payment and administration services for self-insured employers who bear the risk. Furthermore the ACA imposed a minimum medical loss rate. So insurers have little financial incentive to deny claims anymore.

[danjayh]

Agreed. Many large firms do self-insure at this point, relying on the 'insurance' companies for administration. In fact, my employer does this. However, it's not a popular thing to recognize the actual value that insurance companies and the folks who work for them contribute these days (and no, I don't work for an insurance company).

[danjayh]

> Also, government run healthcare is bad because they are going to shoot people (or threaten to) and put them in jail for not paying their medical bills? Come on.. are you serious?

Really their taxes, but yes, dead serious. If you have a decent income, stop paying taxes for a while and see what happens. They'll eventually send the cops to arrest you. Vigorously resist arrest, and you'll end up dead or injured.

> You really do sound like you work for the insurance industry, claiming their functions are necessary (even though every other country manages without them).

That argument can be made for every industry, not just healthcare. If you want to live someplace like that, the best examples in the modern world (since the USSR collapsed) are cuba and venezuela. If you haven't already, I strongly encourage you to research these countries, and I think that you'll find that the downside is much greater than the upside. Corporations are not evil and do perform a valuable function in society -- this coming from someone who works for a corporation that's been having mass layoffs for the better part of a year. The world is a brutal, competitive place. Sticking your head in the sand to ignore it doesn't make it go away, it just makes your entire country poor.

> You sound like someone who's got it made (so screw everyone else right?), and doesn't give 2 shits about anyone but themselves.

Not rich, but solidly middle class. I worked hard for everything that I have, and no, I don't believe people are entitled to confiscate my things just because they've been less fortunate. I believe that people who have been blessed like this should help people who are less fortunate (and I do - through private charities), but I don't believe that the government is the solution to this. If you do believe the government is the solution, I encourage you to voluntarily pay additional taxes, you are allowed to do this but very few people actually do.

[jdhn]

>Aetna for example has seen a 400% jump in their stock prices in the last 5 years.

In all honesty, what would you expect? The ACA forced millions of people who didn't have health insurance to buy health insurance, and investors responded accordingly by buying the shares of companies who benefited from an influx of new customers.

[maxerickson]

My insurer covers about 1% of the country. It's a private non-profit. There are lots of others.

Of course they pay lots of compensation to people that work there, but the members are effectively disinterested shareholders.