GOP health bill: Insurers can ignore ‘all of the consumer protection laws’ and ‘restrictions on rate changes.’
GOP health bill: Insurers can ignore ‘all of the consumer protection laws’ and ‘restrictions on rate changes.’
The new GOP health care plan expands “coverage” and “choice” by permitting health insurers to sell policies across state lines. Under the Republican proposal, the insurer can choose a ‘primary state’ “whose covered laws shall govern the health insurance issuer” and can change states “upon renewal of the policy.” Page 129 requires a “health insurance issuer” to “provide the following notice” informing consumers in so-called ’secondary states’ that the policy is “not subject to all of the consumer protection laws or restrictions on rate changes of the state.” Here is the notice, as it is described in the legislation:
The GOP is conceding the progressive argument. Specifically, it is admitting that insurance companies would have little incentive to continue doing business under certain state rules which “require that companies issue coverage to all new customers and not set higher rates for people who are already sick.” Instead, companies could chose a state with scarce regulations and sell policies that don’t provide mental health parity, cancer screenings, or abide by regulations that limit the rates that can be charged to higher-cost consumers. This way, plans can attract the healthiest applicants and detract the sick.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Reform, GOP style.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:52 pmSo, in other words, the Republican Plan is great for people who don’t need health insurance and never will and probably could afford the cost of a major health emergency without undue hardship.
Not so great for those people who might have the audacity to get sick, suffer an accident, or are too poor to afford the astronomical costs of a health emergency.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:52 pmAre the Cayman Islands a state?
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:52 pmRape, pillage and plunder…the Republican way.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:52 pmThis bill sums up the modern GOP:
All for business, to hell with the consumers. Given enough time and power, they would try to re-establish 14th century style serfdom.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:54 pmIsn’t that just precious. Boner and his buddies want to help the insurance companies find someplace where its better for them to make more money.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:56 pmSo lemme get this straight — the GOP idea of “reform” is to make things worse than they are now?
Oh, wait…that’s how they pretty much approach EVERYTHING. Their solution to the problem of a sinking ship is to drill a lot of holes in the keel.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:56 pmThis isn’t the first time the repubs have held that states can’t do anything to protect their citizens beyond the federal minimum.
Look at all the challenges to California wanting cleaner cars.
If the GOP believes in personal liberty, why is it against a group of people saying that a given situation is intolerable for them ?
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:00 pmBack in the Bush days it would have passed without comment or debate.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:02 pmSo these are the same folks that are screaming that the states should not be forced to adhere the the Federal Mandate? But, in this case, they believe the state’s LAWS should be ignored, as long as it’s good for corporate profit.
Good Plan guys, way to look after the little guy
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:05 pmOf course…in the tradition of the rethuglican value….dollars over citizens. Gotta keep those health insurance ceos flush with cash. The insured citizens, an after thought. GOP mantra….DIE QUICKLY, save the insurance corp profits.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:07 pmThis is why the whackadoos are calling for states rights like good little parrots. The Republicans know it would be much easier to find some backwards (read Republican controlled) states that would be willing to harbor the health insurance companies and let them continue their reign of terror.
This is a national issue and has to be dealt with on a national level so all citizens get equal protection, coverage and representation.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:07 pmTyler Perry, it would have been pushed through with reconiliation.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:08 pmTyler Perry, it would have been pushed through with reconciliation.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:08 pmWould it be in order for Speaker Pelosi to publicly shove this bill up Majority Leader Boehner’s ass, or would that violate the Rules of the House?
I can dream, can’t I?
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:08 pmHow do credit card companies get away with their most hellish practices? — the same way insurnace companies would under the GOP bill. Betcha Conn. would be the state of choice for the merchants of death just as South Dakota has become the choice state for federalize3d loan sharks.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:08 pm“Corporations First, America Last”
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm~GOPig Motto
The GOP are the BOHICA men!
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:09 pmSilly me — all this time I thought the problem was that the for-profit insurance companies were running amok with too much power and profit, cutting off anyone who might cost them anything, and focusing far more on making as much money as possible than keeping people healthy.
Turns out, according to Boehner, that the problem is that the insurance companies are far too hampered by laws and regulations. Who knew?
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:14 pmSorry for the typo, that should be “Permanent Minority Leader Boehner’s ass.” Shove it up his ass, anyway, Nancy.
I’m too sick to think straight. Good night, everyone.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:14 pmscum.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:16 pmmissmolly,
Both the left and the right agree that everyone should be allowed to make a living. Where we differ is that we on the left believe it should be an honest living. The right doesn’t think we should restrict anyone to that.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:16 pmWhat’s all the fuss? SKdeA summed it all up in post #1.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:16 pmWhy is it that “allow insurance companies to do business across state lines” is considered to be the ideal solution by the wingnuts? They claim this will provide more competition in the marketplace, making insurance rates magically go down.
I beg to differ. Within a short period of time (I give it three to five years), two or three large insurance companies will have gobbled up all the small ones, and we’ll be pretty much back to where we are now. Except of course, that the giant insurers remaining will be permitted to thumb their noses at state laws everywhere.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:22 pmWow. Its like monetary rape.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:22 pmWait, wait, step back and look at this another way. This is a boon to the Trial Lawyers and an attempt for the GOP to bring Trial Lawyers into their fold. You know those greedy bastards who fight for the little guy against the best citizens in the US, the corporations. You will need a lawyer to find out the details of your legal rights in one state and he/she will have to hire a more local lawyer to assist if he/she is not able to practice law in the state where the insurance company has put its name on a door to nowhere. The lawyers and the corporations profit. Then again, that would take away one of the GOP’s favorite boogie-men…
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:23 pmI’m too sick to think straight. Good night, everyone.
GN Wayne, you will be better shortly.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:26 pmWell, this is a whole lot of nothing.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:27 pmthe insurer can choose a ‘primary state’ “whose covered laws shall govern the health insurance issuer”
Wait, I thought these folks [tenthers] were for states rights.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:27 pmSo, they think that health insurance that doesn’t cover illness for the population is a good thing? The insurance companies would get away with denying care to keep their profits high. We would just be singing the same song we are singing now, just on to the second verse.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:28 pmmissmolly,
That’s what the Republicans secretly want to have happen. We on the left want this country to move toward Single Payer, with that Single Payer being the government. Republicans want “Single Payer”, too, but in their case, the “Single Payer” would be the one for-profit insurance company controlling each state’s health insurance.
Republicans truly seem to believe that if you can’t make a lot of money doing something, it isn’t worth doing at all. That’s why they are fighting so hard to protect the status quo. In their eyes, there is not one, single thing wrong with the health care system in this country (other than that it is over-regulated), including the role of the insurance companies that contribute nothing to the health of the patients and even directly lead to some of their deaths.
If you have a friend or relative planning to vote Republican, do your country a service and try to talk them out of it.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:29 pmWhat will happen is they will choose the state with the most lenient regulation to ignore more strict regulation and then they will focus all the insurance companies money to create legislation in that one state for greatest profit. IE rescission and death panels [who will be insured and who wont]
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:31 pmIts not reform but malform
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 pmA robber baron cares not about you but your wallet/purse
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:34 pmSo, it begans to make sense why they care about the unborn, not that care about life, but a sucker to be born to be drained like a battery and tossed aside.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:35 pm“I’m sorry Madame…but according to our state insurance laws…you are Not Sick.”
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:35 pmBohner wheels out this piece of crap and the GOP is boycotting. Damn. These guys will never do what is right for the Country. It’s all about THEM. People dying, the environment is going to Hell, and these as*es could give a sh*t.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:36 pm“I’m sorry Madame…but according to our state insurance laws…you are Not Sick.”
-=Or=-
All conditions are pre-existing
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:37 pmMadoff: I only want rich people whp can pay in
AHIP: We only want healthy people who can pay in
[In unison} We only want your money!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:39 pmI believe our own Rep. Grayson has summarized the Republican bill in advance: Don’t get sick. If you get sick, die quickly.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:43 pmA shit sandwich! Thanks, GOP!
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:53 pmI prefer the first GOP health care plan, the blank piece of paper
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:00 pmHey! If you could just die before you get sick. Hmmmmmmm, let me crunch some #s here.
I am sorry sir, our records show that you received medical care for a birth (your own) and therefore we are going to have to deny your procedure in accordance with article #
$%^*^&*(^&(%^%$%^&*(^&(^&(^$@#@!#$%#$!@%^&)&*!@#$@#%$#%&
FROM SECTION
*()_*(^&%^$%$#$@#@#!@%$^%%^%^*%^%$$%#$^@#$%^&*^&*(^&*(T^%&$%^*%678
Of the House Bill
Go F yourself and die.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:29 pmRepugs want anyone that’s sick to die. Repug party of Death.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:53 pmOhh isn’t this great, now we can have another state go through the same thing that the state of Delaware is going through for being the most lenient with their usury laws ( so many credit card companies relocated there, so when they went bust, they laid off a lot of people, and now the state of delaware is hurting because of lost tax revenue, etc)! When will people get the message that this party only cares about $$, not people? They have been against almost every practical reform offered these past two centuries, from child labor laws to environmental laws..
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:25 pmAs if we needed a reminder of how fortunate we are these filthy pigs are out of power..
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 pmSome want the single payer to be the Government (taxpayers), some want a choice of many payers, but the ones I don’t like are the ones who want the payers to be anyone but themselves.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:45 pmkeep in mind….
In Texas, being a battered woman is a precondition. stick that bee in your bonnet for a while.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:36 pmI don’t think the insurance companies themselves could have devised legislation that would benefit them as much as the Republican’s proposal: Allow insurance companies to relocate to states where they would be weakly regulated (and presumably where they could find pliable governors and state legislatures) – essentially deregulate the health insurance market; dump the sickest beneficiaries from their insurance pools and force the states to pay for them; and do nothing to contain premiums for those who still have insurance. It’s not healthcare reform; it’s health insurance company welfare!
November 4th, 2009 at 1:30 am